Akame ga Kill! - Judecca Rising
by DemonLordGalm
Summary: The Empire's finally been defeated, and from the ashes rises the New Kingdom, ushering in a new era of peace. The members of Night Raid are finally able to rest their weary and broken bodies...but this peace won't last forever. Across the ocean, a shadow grows in the east...one that threatens to swallow everything into the shadow of the abyss of despair... ON LONG HIATUS AGAIN
1. Prologue

A/N "GOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM! (R.I.P Robin Williams, you will forever be missed. God Bless your soul.) Anyways, mourning aside, WELCOME everyone to the next Akame ga Kill story that I have pledged to write. Gonna go ahead and say this now, once again **Tatsumi** is older in this story, around **19** yrs old, just like the previous Akame ga Kill story, and **Mine** will be **17**. I can already tell you there is no chance in HELL this one is gonna be as long as _A Different Path_ , but I hope I can make it long enough to where it surpasses at least 100k words because _A Different Path_ and it's over 420k words...holy shit...it took a lot out of me.

Leave a fav and review, and shout out to my bois Chaos_Omega and Neptune!

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 **Prologue**

As the war between the Revolutionary Army and the Empire raged on and neared its climax, across the Caeres Ocean its little talked about eastern neighbor only watched in utter silence at the brutality and carnage.

While not as old as the thousand-year old Empire, this nation known as the Holy Empire of Judecca has had its fair share of history, but has always lived in silence within the shadow of its neighbor. It's military was strong but not as large, the nation was also very healthy in size, but nowhere near the monstrous proportions of the Empire. Ever since the revolution had begun and even before that, Judecca had always been a practitioner of fierce isolationism, preferring to remain neutral in conflicts that could potentially bring harm to the nation.

At the very top was the ruler of Judecca, the Holy Emperor Karna Masta, and he ruled from the capital of Zion, Judecca's largest city and crown jewel. The people living there greatly enjoyed the freedoms and liberties Karna Masta provided for them, and peace resonated throughout the nation.  
Unfortunately...nothing good ever lasts forever.

 **\- Holy Palace, Zion, Capital of Judecca -**

The aging Karna Masta sat upon his throne within Zion's Holy Palace, his various attendants, military officials, and family members there with him in that aging hall.

The Holy Emperor looked to his left and caught a glance from his Granddaughter, a young woman of eighteen years who was quite stunning and loved by many. She had fair, almost porcelain-like skin, and long silvery white hair that she kept in a off-center buntail and pinned it with a icicle shaped tiara. Her dress was fitting for a princess like her, a glittering masterpiece with a pale blue color, a sweetheart neckline, and a white, tulle petticoat. The skirt reached the floor and split to her thigh on one side, and over the outfit she wore a slightly sheer long-sleeved blue shrug fastened at the collar with a large sapphire brooch that had three pendants dangling from it.

"My dear Esdia, could you fetch me a glass of tea please? I'd very much appreciate it, since between you and me, this meeting is quite boring." he asked quietly, the Princess giggling and nodding.

"Of course Grandfather. Try not to fall asleep before I get back." replied Esdia before she walked around at the edge of the throne room and left through the heavy oak doors.

When she made a left away from the throne room and turned a corner at the end of the left hallway, a large group of people appeared down the opposite one that was to the right of the doors.

A majority, around twenty, of the group were these robed men with pitch-black shoulder pauldrons and matching helmets with red-tinted t-shaped visors, a golden crown, a purple colored mohawk and feathered wings on either side of it.

At the front of the group were two drastically different people. One was hunched over, its body covered entirely by a dark maroon cloak and hood that made it impossible to guess the figure's gender or appearance. Every step it took though made a heavy metallic clanking noise, a noise different from the sound the black knights and their boots made.

The other leader was a female, a very beautiful one at that, with long, white hair tied into a single tail that hung over her left shoulder, fair skin, and a gentle aura that radiated superiority from her uncanny yellow eyes.

She wore a form-fitting black, purple and gold dress that left her belly button and a majority of her cleavage exposed, matching arm sleeves, and a black cape that had a red fur collar.

The group arrived at the throne room and with utter disregard for formality the woman pushed them open and strided into the room with the hunched figure by her side. The twenty black knights entered aftewards and split into two equal lines of ten that lined each side of the room, facing its occupants and staring at them silently.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded one of Karna Masta's generals, but the man was silenced when the Holy Emperor raised a hand and stared at the woman.

"Consul Maxwell...what are you doing here? I did not summon you."

"My apologies, your Highness." replied Maxwell in a silky smooth voice as she bowed. "I've come here of my own accord. To be brutally honest, I'm here to remove you from your throne."

The room went into an uproar, with the guards stationed taking a step forward with their swords drawn, but with the snap of her fingers Maxwell's soldiers relinquished their cloaks and unveiled armored muscular bodies. Each soldier held a short sword in each hand, and from a silver disk built into their armor's back piece sprouted glistening black angel wings made entirely out of metal.

"I would refrain from doing that. My Archangels are nigh-invincible soldiers, my personal guards that I augmented with weapons of my own design." stated Maxwell with a smirk, the Holy Emperor scowling at her while his wife, daughter and her husband watched in terror.

"You and your machinations...you've gone mad! This is treason!"

"Silence." commanded Karna Masta, the man standing up from his throne after the man who spoke before became quiet.

"Maxwell, your minions may be more then a match for my guards, but you have underestimated me." he said before he shrugged off his robes, revealing the heavily toned and buff body of a warrior that greatly contrasted his grey and white hair. "I will put an end to your rebellion _myself_."

The Holy Emperor stepped down from his raised throne and stood across from Maxwell, his arms crossed over his chest.

It was at this time the hunched figure cleared his throat and asked in a deep, gravely voice that had a very heavy Scottish accent, "May I take care of this pest for for you…?"

"Yes you may, my loyal servant." said Maxwell, the cloaked figure shuffling forward until he stood in front of her facing Karna Masta.

At first he did nothing, but then he looked up and stared at the Holy Emperor from under his hood. Whatever face the man had, it was enough to physically affect Karna Masta and shake him slightly before he hid his surprise behind a cold- hard stare. Then the figure stood up, rising to a staggering seven and a half feet tall before he removed his cloak.

He was no man, but a mix of beast and machine with a body reminiscent of a horrifying skeleton with black limbs, bipedal legs, and clawed hands with four fingers. His shoulder joints were protected by large shoulder pauldrons, and his head consisted of a skull-like mask with four eye slots that allowed everyone to see the four red and green reptilian eyes that stared with a fiery hate at Karna Masta.  
Adorning the left side of his cyborg body was a series of bright purple tattoos that added to his savage appearance, if the pitch black color scheme and almost glowing eyes didn't already make him look like one.

"My name is Warsaw, Maxwell's personal attendant. Tell me, Karna Masta...do you fear death?" spoke the nightmarish cyborg, his reptilian eyes narrowing.

"I will not stand idly by and watch as my nation falls to some band of extremists who wish to tear down all that my ancestors had worked to build!" shouted Karna Masta before he rushed the cyborg, the old man faster then what most expected, and threw a punch at the cyborg's face.

Warsaw reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, his clawed hand stopping the Holy Emperor's a foot away from his face. Then he began to push him back, his monstrous strength forcing Karna Masta's fist backwards and causing him to grunt in pain as the bones and connecting ligaments and tendons were strained to the breaking point.

Warsaw watched silently as he forced the mighty Holy Emperor to a knee, eventually towering over the ruler and showing his dominance without any effort whatsoever. Then he leaned down until his face was mere inches away from Karna Masta's and he stared right through him, all the way to his soul.

"I'll ask this again...do you fear death…?" he asked, his voice oozing with blood lust.

"Go rot in hell, you satanic creature." snarled Karna Masta, Warsaw chuckling evilly as he leaned back, his other hand balling up into a fist.

"Mistress...shall I make this man bleed?"

"As long as you don't kill him, my dear. We still need him for a short while longer…" replied Maxwell with a giggle, the cyborg pushing Karna Masta's wrist back even farther until he cried out when Warsaw broke it, a loud cracking noise echoing through the room.

As he doubled over in pain, clutching his broken and malformed wrist, he looked up and just barely saw past Maxwell the scared expression on his Granddaughter's face, her wide eyes bringing nothing but pain to his old heart. When no one was paying attention, her mouthed the word "RUN" to her several times to try and get to her to get away as fast as possible.

On the third time she gave one last look at him before she disappeared, the Holy Emperor closing his eyes and smiling softly as Warsaw walked around behind him, glaring at him.

" _At least you will survive...my beloved Esdia…_ "

Maxwell nod her head and Warsaw planted both hands firmly on either side of Karna Masta's head, the Emperor grunting when he felt like his skull was getting crushed. Then, without a sound, Warsaw ripped his arms around in a circular motion and broke the Emperor's neck with such force it spun his head around almost 180 degrees. He gurgled as blood seeped through his pursed lips before he collapsed onto the ground, sputtering a few more times before he stopped twitching and ceased all movement.

"I apologize Mistress, I might have used too much force."

"It's alright Warsaw, we can still use his body." replied Maxwell with a smile as she looked at the Holy Emperor's family, who were staring at them and his body with horrified expressions.

"Now with that out of the way...kill them."

"Kill who, Mistress?" asked Warsaw with a glance at her.

"All of them. Any and all who were associated with the now _removed_ Holy Emperor. And for his family...crucify them. I want it public."

Meanwhile, Esdia had already left the Holy Palace with a traveling cloak flung over her normal attire, her skin paler then usual from the terror coursing through her veins. She pulled up the large hood and just ran, hoping to get as far away from the palace as possible.

Unfortunately she didn't see the person right in front of her and she collided with them, causing them both to fall to the ground in a jumbled mess that stirred up some dust on the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" apologized Esdia as she frantically tried to get up, her face meeting the strangers and shocking her when she recognized who it was. "U-Uncle Lazarus?"

"Esdia?" asked Lazarus as he was about to get up, but was stopped when she threw her arms around him and hugged him while shaking.

"Esdia, what's wrong?"

"T-They're gonna kill them...t-t-they're gonna kill them…" she stuttered, Lazarus carefully lifting her to her feet as he stood up, the exceptionally tall and lanky man kneeling down to be closer to her height.

"Talk to me Esdia, I can't understand you."

"G-Granddad...Mom...Dad...a-all of them...s-she's gonna kill them…"

Before Lazarus could respond he looked up and spotted two groups of robed figures dressed in black with black metallic wings take to the skies, as if they were searching for someone. He quickly pulled up Esdia's hood to hide her characteristic silvery white hair and had her get behind him when the cyborg Warsaw walked out of the palace and spotted them immediately.

"You, who are you?" he questioned as he approached them, Lazarus just barely topping him in height.

"My name is Lazarus, and I should be asking you the same question, sir."

The cyborg coughed and got himself in a more upright posture, "My name is Warsaw, personal attendant to the former Consul Maxwell."

"Former…?"

"Holy Emperor Karna Masta has been dethroned, and he and his family are set to be tried under orders from the new Holy Empress. We're currently looking for Princess Esdia…" Warsaw fixed his gaze on Lazarus and narrowed his eyes.  
"Would you happen to know where she could have gone?"

Lazarus merely stared at him with an equally stone-cold look before he cleared his throat. "I have no idea where she could have gone. If you don't know, I am the acting Warden of the Megalith Prison, and this is the first time I've been to the Holy Capital in months, so I wouldn't know anything that has recently occurred."

Lazarus looked down fondly at Esdia and rubbed her shoulders gently, smiling as he did when she hid behind him even more. She was afraid, he could easily tell that, and from this he could deduce that this Warsaw character must have played a part in her family's abrupt downfall. He could smell deception in the air, and he hid his suspicions perfect behind a facade of fake emotions.

"It's my daughter's birthday, so I brought her to the Capital to find her a birthday present."

Warsaw glanced down at Esdia and bent over to try and catch a glimpse of her face, but she hid more behind Lazarus.

"Sorry, she's very shy around others." explained Lazarus with a chuckle to draw Warsaw's attention away from Esdia.

"Ah, I see. I apologize."

The cyborg returned to his full height and resumed his four-eyed stare at Lazarus, one eye glancing down and catching the button in his jacket collar that confirmed his statement about being the Megalith's Warden, the symbol of the prison being the button's design.

"Well, sorry to bother you and your daughter, Warden. You may continue on your way."

He stepped away from them and motioned with one of his clawed hands for them to move along, Lazarus bowing respectfully before he led Esdia away from the cyborg into the city. They didn't stop walking until they had left the city entirely and were a good distance away before Lazarus let go of Esdia and hugged her tightly, the young Princess finally breaking down into tears from sheer terror.

Lazarus remained silent as his niece poured all of the bottled up emotions she had kept since her departure from the Holy Palace, the Warden only being able to gently rub her back and hold on to her.

"Let it out...it's okay...Uncle Lazzy's here…" he whispered in a soft voice to help soothe Esdia.

A few minutes later and she had finally stopped crying, the young Princess wiping her eyes and removing herself from Lazarus. She nod her head to say that she was fine now and she waited to hear what he had to say.

"Esdia, did you see my brother before you ran?"

"H-He was the one who told me too…b-before...before...t-that thing..."

Lazarus closed his eyes and had to keep himself in check, the thing she was referring to easily being Warsaw, and when he figured that out his mind went wild with all of possible outcomes for the fate of his brother. A few seconds of calm breathing brought him back to reality and he kneeled before Esdia, putting a hand on her shoulder and staring at her.

"Then you must abide. That cyborg does not possess good intentions, and I can only assume that if they capture you, the same fate that awaits your family will happen for you, and I cannot allow that." He looked into her eyes with a dead serious facial expression. "Esdia, you must leave Judecca."

"No! I don't want to leave, I want to stay with you!" cried Esdia, Lazarus chuckling at her eagerness.

"As much as I would love that, a prison is no place for you. And since I'm your Uncle, they'll be keeping a close eye on me, so you being at the prison is an even greater risk. You're a big girl Esdia, you can take care of yourself, so I'm going to send you to the Empire." explained Lazarus, Esdia paling at the mentioning of the turmoil-infested nation that rested across from Judecca past the ocean.

"The E-Empire..?"

"Yes. Currently it's embroiled in a revolution that's close to succeeding. You can easily slip through and find somewhere out of the way to lay low and hide."

"B-But...Uncle…"

Lazarus shushed her and brought her into another loving embrace. "You have to be brave little one, I promise that I will come for you. When the time is right, I will come for you, and we can both find somewhere far away from the reach of this place, a place where you will be safe."

Esdia's lower lip trembled and she slowly nod her head, Lazarus gently bringing her into an embrace and holding her close for a minute.

"Okay...let's go."

He held her hand as he stood up, hunching over a tad bit to compensate for her height, and walked with her away from Zion all the way to the port city of Corinths, the Warden taking her to the docks in order to find someone suitable and trustworthy to take her across the water. It took them a few, and with time of the essence Lazarus felt rushed, but in the end he was able to find a shipping captain who was just about to leave that with a little explanation and a little lying, Esdia was able to secure a spot on the ship.

"Esdia, listen to me now." said Lazarus as he kneeled before his niece, pulling up her hood when he did. "You're going to the Southern Territories...once there, you head north toward the Empire. Find a village away from the Revolution and the fighting and hide there among the populace. Don't let anyone know who you are."

"Y-Yes, Uncle." said Esdia with a nod, the young Princess trying hard not to cry.  
"Stay there, little one...and like I said earlier, I promise that once I find an opportunity, I will come for you. And when I do, we can both run away from the world together."

He smiled softly at her and embraced her for probably the last time, Esdia's guard finally breaking down as she hugged her Uncle and cried into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Esdia was the one to pull away and smile at Lazarus and walk toward the waiting ship captain, the bearded and season naval captain smiling at her and holding her hand as he walked her to his ship.

A few minutes later Lazarus was waving off Esdia as the ship departed from port out onto the water, her image slowly getting farther and farther away until he couldn't see her anymore. When she was gone he lowered his hand and smiled a little, happy that in the very least she would survive whatever fate the rest of her family would suffer through.

"Smart, casting her as your daughter in order to avoid her being apprehended."

Lazarus whirled around and swore under his breath when Warsaw appeared from behind a large pile of stacked crates with three Archangels, the elite soldiers each holding two short swords and staring silently at him. Warsaw had a grey cape cast over his shoulders and he walked up to Lazarus, glaring at him with his four reptilian eyes for a few moments.

"I won't allow Esdia to be hurt by brutes like you. Whatever you plan on doing to her family, she will at least survive to one day return here with an army to free this place from your clutches." spat Lazarus, the cyborg taking the verbal punishment and chuckling.

"An Army? From where, exactly?"

"The Empire."

Warsaw blinked and then laughed, his strained, grizzled laugh making Lazarus even more angry. The cyborg warrior suddenly stopped laughed and rammed a fist deep into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and dropping the prison warden to his knees.

"The Empire? They're indisposed right now, being caught up in a Revolution. There's no way they'll be able to muster up an army to take on Judecca once it all comes to an end and both sides are left weary and beaten." he said with a vile tongue, Lazarus looking up at him as he writhed and grinning.

"I've heard stories of a group of fighters over there...ones that are powerful. Even you won't be able to stop them."

"Don't you think we've prepared for that possibility?"

The Archangels suddenly shed their black robes and unfurled their black metal wings, the sunlight glistening off their finished and polished feathers, each one sharpened to a point.

"These wings are a less powerful version of Abbadon, the first of a series of weapons that my mistress dubbed "Arma". They're similar in strength to the Empire's "Teigu"...so even though we may not have as big of a military as the Empire, we can sure match them in strength." replied Warsaw, Lazarus imagining the cyborg would be sneering at him if he had a mouth.

Warsaw then leaned down and grasped Lazarus by the throat, lifting him off the feet into the air and staring him down with the harsh, cold glare of a ruthless and brilliant tactician and killer.

"I would break your neck right now, Lazarus _Masta_...but you're too important to kill. Consider yourself lucky that you're the Warden of that damned prison." snarled Warsaw before he brought Lazarus in close, his face inches away. "But...that doesn't mean I can't _punish_ you."

"Do your worst, you bastard...I can endure any pain in order to ensure my family is safe." said Lazarus with a determined look.

"We shall see…oh, and about your Niece? Once we stabilize Judecca...we'll go after her. I know that boat is going to the Southern Territories, and I assume you must have told her to hide somewhere in the Empire." said Warsaw, Lazarus' expression morphing to fear. "She can run, she can hide, but we will find her. And you, my dear Warden...have a front row seat to her crucifixion. I _guarantee_ it."

 **\- Akame ga Kill! - Judecca Rising -**


	2. Another Time

A/N What a way to kick things off, can already tell its gonna be good. (Enter Oprah) YOU GET A CRUCIFIXION, YOU GET A CRUCIFIXION! (I'm sorry...) Anyways, hope you guys liked the kickstarter, and I'll be working on these chapters here soon so that they'll all be ready to go. I've gotten pretty much all the characters drawn too, so making their pages on the wiki will be easy! Also, to those that have said in their reviews, you know who you are... _don't assume the pairings are solidified yet. You never know what will happen._

Leave a fav and review, and I'll see you guys next time!

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 **Chapter 1 - Another Time**

 **\- Imperial Palace Ruins, Imperial Capital, the Empire -**

Sounds like thunder echoed out across the Imperial Capital as the battle to take the city by the Revolutionary Army raged on, but the fiercest fighting was taking place within the very center of the city, within the walls that had once protected the symbol of the Empire, the Imperial Palace. As a result of the waking of the Shikoutazer and its rampage through the city, the entire palace had been reduced to rubble, the massive grotesque suit of armor itself sitting on its side within an arena of rubble enclosed from the rest of the city by a large ice wall. Tatsumi was laying unconscious on his side next to the broken Shikoutazer, the man now turned into the dragon body as a result of fully fusing with his Teigu Incursio, the dragon it was made from taking full control.

A few minutes earlier Akame had cut him with Murasame, and he had collapsed when the poison had entered his bloodstream, apparently bringing his life to an end before he could truly be lost to Tyrant.

Now, the assassin wielding the One-Cut Killer was locked in a heated battle with the Empire's Strongest, the feared Ice Queen herself, Esdeath, the brutal sadist and warmonger. Akame had actually managed to land a cut on the General earlier, forcing her to cut off her own right arm above the elbow to stay alive, and with that same grin on her face she made herself an ice arm and kept on fighting.

To keep up, Akame had to do what no one else had done before. She had cut herself with her own sword and took in Murasame's poison, gaining dark maroon tattoos across her body, black scleras, and black symbols around her pupils as well as a dark, menacing aura that radiated pure evil, just like the cursed blade itself. As a result, her strength, speed, senses, and reflexes were extraordinarily boosted, allowing her to keep up with the sadistic General.

"You've thrown it away, abandoned it. Your Humanity, that is." stated Esdeath with a smile as she deflected Murasame with the ice sword attached to her icy right arm, the General leaping back on the defensive as Akame assaulted her.

Akame said nothing and Esdeath leaped back again, driving her heels into the rubble-covered ground and launching herself over Akame when she slashed at where her gut would have been. Quick as a flash Esdeath rammed her foot into Akame's own gut when she whirled around, the General turning the tables on her quickly, all the while that grin of hers plastered on her face. She thrust forward with her large ice cleaver sword, and a single blow from Murasame at the right spot shattered it, causing Esdeath to retreat for a moment.

"Now this… _this_ is what I truly wanted!" exclaimed Esdeath excitedly before she grew a large ice horn underneath Akame, the assassin planting her shoe on the side of its razor sharp tip and riding it dozens of feet into the air.

Esdeath responded by gathering human-sized ice shards sharpened to a point around her and threw both arms forward, firing them up at Akame. "We'll see how well you dodge in mid-air without being able to fly!"

Akame narrowed her eyes and like a speeding bullet she hopped from one shard to the other, bounding back and forth in a zig-zag pattern as she flew toward Esdeath, Murasame at her hip ready to be used. At the last possible moment Esdeath leaped to the right, Akame slamming down onto the ground with Murasame's blade glowing with her murderous blood lust, the assassin glaring at Esdeath.

The General had lost her grin and scowled at her as she looked at her left hand, her thumb and index finger flying away trailing blood. Without a second thought she lopped off her own hand and replaced it with one made of ice, the General continuing to stare at Akame in silent fury.

"You've become quite accustomed to coming up with emergency treatments on the spot...even without stopping time, you were able to attend to that wound in time." said Akame in a low tone, the assassin holding her blade at her side as she stared down Esdeath.

"You've been called the master of torture, and up until this point, you've scarred and engraved agony into the lives of countless people...so this time, _you'll_ be the one who's tormented."

"Ho…? And is that your plan?" questioned Esdeath with a devilish smile. "To try and get a rise out of me like that?"

"I'll make you pay." growled Akame, the General sneering at her before she raised her right arm up toward her.

"Nonsense!" she bellowed as she unleashed a storm of ice shards the size of swords at Akame, the assassin swinging her sword and either deflecting or cutting through them as she walked toward Esdeath.

All of a sudden she appeared behind Akame and kicked her with enough force to break a human's spine, Akame grunting and spitting up blood as she flew forward into an ice wall Esdeath spawned a few feet away. She then came right up behind her and without warning she picked up her fallen rapier and sent the blade through the right side of Akame's waist and into the wall.

Akame cried out in pain as her blood started to seep through her clothes and onto the wall, Esdeath grinning as she twisted the blade around to cause her even more discomfort.

"Right back at you, Akame." she whispered into her ear before she drew the blade out and leaped back, allowing Akame to collapse to one knee and clutch her side.

" _D-Dammit!_ " she cursed as she slowly got up and turned to face Esdeath, choosing to disregard the wound.

Esdeath smiled when they went at each other again with their blades, their bodies becoming mere blurs as they moved across the ruined battleground faster then the eye could trace. The more their blades crossed the happier Esdeath became, her cheeks even turning red as if she were aroused by the whole fight itself.

"This is so fun, so thrilling, Akame!" she said happily, the assassin grinding her teeth in anger.

"Fun?! This is fun to you?!"

She fought back against Esdeath with renewed vigor, the General noticing the change and grinning even more.

"Don't you dare lump me in with you! You goddamned war-beast! Killing you will bring happiness to the people of this country. That has been what I've believed in...and it's never faltered all this time…" said Akame loudly, her demonic aura growing rapidly in strength. "Someone like you...who talks about slaughter, massacre, and torture as if it were fun...you must be put down, and I will be the one to do it!"

Sparks flew from their blades and Esdeath's lip parted into a smile that rivaled Murasame's demonic aura. She raised her hand up and a cloud of icicles formed in the air above them both, one rocketing down toward her and impaling her right leg through the back of her kneecap, hindering her even more. She pulled the icile out of her leg and ducked and weaved through the storm of ice raining from above, Esdeath watching closely as she darted around her as fast as she could go.

Suddenly she flew right at her and Esdeath blocked her strike with an ice wall, akame grunted as she cut herself through with brute force. She felt the temperature drop around them and Akame saw ice beginning to develop on the rubble surrounding them, her eyes darting back to Esdeath and her grin.

"You're freezing everything around us, aren't you?"

She darted at Esdeath and engaged her again in close-quarters combat, her poisoned blade always getting so-close to the General but her ice kept pushing it away. She slammed her sword into Esdeath's ice arm and shattered it, the General giggling as she tossed some of the blood from the wound it had fused itself to onto her face to temporarily blind her while she delivered a devastating left hook to her cheek.

Akame rolled across the ground and bounced like a stone skipping across water before she was able to get back on her feet, blood dripping from her wounds and from her lips.

" _I won't be able to keep this strength up for long...I've got to settle this soon…_ " thought Akame as she breathed heavily, her demonic aura lessening slightly, a fact that Esdeath did not overlook.

"You're straining to muster your strength together, aren't you...very well."

Esdeath continued to grin as she dropped her rapier, a mental blow to Akame basically meaning she wouldn't need some weapon to defeat her. She was confident she could win just with her skills as a warrior and Demon's Extract alone.

"Come here, Akame~." she teased as she cocked her head to the right, her cockiness and grin infuriating Akame to the point she didn't care if her body gave out on her.

She rushed Esdeath with everything she had, trying to make a dent in the General's seemingly indestructible ice defense. Blow after blow she went after Esdeath, but each and every time she and Murasame was rejected.

"Esdeath!" bellowed Akame as she bounded off a protruding piece of granite up into the air, coming down toward her target.

All the while Esdeath had brought her hands up, ready to bring an end to this fight and her cursed sword once and for all.

" _Yes...come here Akame...let me break that sword for you._ "

When Akame was nearly on top of her time suddenly slowed down and came to a complete halt, the two fighters frozen in place alongside the denizens and people within the entire Imperial Capital. Slowly, out from behind the Shikoutazer, walked a tall lanky man dressed in black dress pants, shoes, a suit-jacket and a white dress shirt underneath. A dark maroon necktie hung loosely around his neck and over his shoulders was a brown tattered cape, and covering his hands were black gloves.

The man breathed out through a gold gas mask that covered the lower half of his face and jaw up the the bridge of his nose, his white hair fluttering in the soft breeze as he walked.

He finally reached the frozen Esdeath and Akame and stared at them with his one good eye, his left eye covered by an eyepatch due to an injury that left three scars spanning over the eye and down his cheek. He took off his black top hat and set it aside, his right hand lightly turning a golden pocket watch around while he thought of what to do next.

" _Wakey wakey, ice queen…_ "

He pressed the latch release and Esdeath suddenly gasped, her eyes flying open when she saw Akame's sword inches away from her chest. She quickly noticed everything was frozen around her, and then sensed the man standing a few feet away from her with the stopwatch in his hands.

"What did you do?" she asked with narrowed eyes, the General turning to face the newcomer.

"I merely froze time with Chronos." he replied.

"Chronos?"

The man held up the pocket watch to Esdeath. "Chronos. It allows me to redirect the flow of time in order to speed it up, slow it down, half it completely...or go backwards through it."

Esdeath eyed the trinket for a few moments, trying to think if it was one of the lost Teigu that the Empire had constructed, and when the man saw the strained look on her face he lowered the watch and chuckled.

"And no, it's not one of the Empire's Teigu. Where I come from, it's called something different. They're like the Teigu, basically."

"Ah...well...do you mind telling me who you are and why you interrupted me?" asked Esdeath in a low tone, the man chuckling again.

"All in due time, for now, allow me to help you with that."

He stepped forward and put a hand on Esdeath's shoulder, a few clicks of the pocket watch's latch release causing the hands to come to a stop and tick backwards. Esdeath's eyes widened when the ice hand she had made for her left hand melted away and back came her original hand, good as new. Following its return her lopped off right arm grew back as well, and then the wounds that she had from fighting with Akame healed themselves instantly.

When she looked to him for an answer, the man winked and closed Chronos for a moment. "Chornos' Finale, Turnback. It allows me to either turn back the personal time of myself, another person, or an object to a previous point in time. In this case, I rewound the time of your hand and arm back to when they were still attached to your body. You're welcome, by the way."

"T-Thank you…" Esdeath was actually amazed by the ability of the little stopwatch, but she shook her head and instantly she kicked her rapier up into her hand and she rested its blade against the side of the man's neck. "Now tell me who you are and why you came here."

"Of course, where are my manners."

Esdeath blinked when the man was two feet to her left, the General growling when she guessed that he must have stopped time for a moment to move out of harm's way.

" _A dangerous weapon in the hands of a skilled user...I need to keep an eye on him…_ "

"My name is Grimmjaw Blackburn, it's a pleasure to meet you General Esdeath." introduced the man with a bow. "And I've come here to recruit you."

Esdeath blinked a few times and she lowered her rapier slightly. "Recruit?"

"Indeed. Where I come from, I am the leader of an elite group of people, much like your Jaegers when you first formed them. Right now, we're looking for fill up our last spot." Grimmjaw held out a hand to Esdeath while his other went behind his back. "General, would you like to leave the Empire behind and become our new Wrath?"

Esdeath looked at his hand and mulled over the proposition in her mind, determining the pros and cons of such a situation if she were to leave the Empire behind. She glanced over at Akame and thought of the ruined state of the Empire, how far it had fallen, and how if the Revolutionary Army won she'd be hunted down until she was eventually found and killed for her war crimes. She smiled at how exhilarating that could be, but to be given a chance to join another elite group of powerful fighters from another country, one that could bring her new enjoyment...it was something she just couldn't refuse.

"Please, it's not General any more…" she said as she shook Grimmjaw's hand. "It's just Esdeath now."

"Splendid. Now, before we're off on our way, I'd like to see one thing first." said Grimmjaw, the General raising an eyebrow when he took a few steps away from her.

Grimmjaw then pulled the rapier hanging from the belt around his waist out of its sheath and held it in an unorthodox back-handed grip, the man chuckling as he picked up his top hat and put it back on his head.

"You mind a little sparring session?"

Esdeath giggled a little as she raised up her rapier and took her stance, her analytical mind already scanning Grimmjaw for any weaknesses. "Of course not, I love to fight. Let's see how good you are with that grip of yours."

In a flash she was right on top of Grimmjaw, the man's eye widened as he struck back just as quick, using the part of the blade near the hilt of his rapier to block her rapier. He then pressed the palm of his hand against his sword and pushed her back, the man rushing her and attacking with a series of jabs, backward slashes and spins that Esdeath had not experienced with a blade like his.

"Oooh! I'm impressed!" she said happily as she returned Grimmjaw's blows just as fast as he gave them, the two duelists dancing around one another as happy as they could be.

"This is truly exciting, fighting the Empire's Strongest General!" exclaimed Grimmjaw with a laugh.

They dueled for another few with all of the time space surrounding the Imperial Capital still frozen until Grimmjaw had his fill and retracted his sword, Esdeath doing the same. They sheathed their weapons at the same time and they shook hands, the General smiling at him while the man just chuckled.

"That was quite enjoyable, actually. Thank you." she said, Grimmjaw nodding.

"But of course. Now, allow me to take care of a couple of things before we leave."

Esdeath nod her head and followed Grimmjaw past the frozen Akame, the only silent witness to their duel, toward the fallen Tatsumi. Her heart hurt as she gazed at how ugly her Tatsumi had become, the dragon that inhabited his armor having done this to him, an act that made her boil inside.

" _Damned dragon..._ "

"First thing's first…"

Grimmjaw took out Chronos from his pocket and put a hand on Tatsumi's large shoulder, clicking the latch release the same amount of times he did for Esdeath and before her very eyes Tatsumi's body started to shrink, its personal time going back days upon days up to the point when that armor had never started to take over Tatsumi, the day when he had fought Esdeath and Great General Budo when he was still alive. Esdeath covered her mouth with her hands when she saw Tatsumi with Incuriso in its key form lying on the ground in the place where a large dragon had once been, her heart skipping a beat after Grimmjaw took his hand away from his shoulder.

He glanced down at the pocket watch and then returned it to his pocket as he stood up to his full height, watching silently when Esdeath walked by him and went down to her knees next to him with tears forming.

"Tatsumi…" she whispered as she turned him onto his back and looked over him, running a hand gently down his chin and smiling.

"We have to go, Esdeath. I would say time is of the essence, but that wouldn't be the case." said Grimmjaw with a chuckle.

Esdeath nod her head slowly and leaned down to kiss Tatsumi on the forehead, smiling softly as she made a tiny cross of ice and slid it into one of Tatsumi's pockets. She whispered goodbye and then stood up to leave with Grimmjaw to their next location. They found a hidden entrance to the underground portion of what used to be the Imperial Palace buried beneath some rubble and descended down a flight of stairs into a series of chambers and passageways built during the ancient days of the Empire.

Esdeath had been down there a couple of times but even she didn't know their full extents, so she followed closely behind Grimmjaw since it seemed he strangely knew exactly where he was going. As they walked she caught a glimpse of Chronos in his pocket and, feeling curious again, walked up next to him and pointed at it.

"So, Grimmjaw, about your watch...how many times can it reverse time like that? You said something about it being the Finale?" she asked, the man glancing at her and pulling it out.

"Like Teigu, the weapons Chronos is a part of possess a powerful or unique moved that's called a "Finale". For Chronos, I can use Turnback three times, and once I use the third time I have to wait for a week before I can use it again."

"And since you already used it twice...what's the third time for?"

Her question was answered when they rounded a corner and came upon a similar situation that Esdeath had been in with Akame, only it was a blonde girl with a hand over her stomach, and the Prime Minister himself was on the ground beneath her, a pistol in his hand. She put the pieces together and guessed this was a member of Night Raid that was with Akame who split off the kill Honest, and of course being Honest he used the Teigu built into his crown to destroy hers and leave her open to shoot her in the gut.

" _Fat coward…_ " she thought before Grimmjaw approached the blonde woman and put a hand on her shoulder, the man clicking Chronos' latch release for the last few times to implement Turnback.

Like Esdeath's limbs and Tatsumi before, the six gunshot wounds in her stomach were instantly healed, the bullets dropping to the ground one by one after the regrowing flesh pushed them out, and immediately afterwards the belt that was her Teigu, Lionelle, came back into existence as well, returning to her the tail, ears, and claws it grants her. Once he let go of her he pocketed Chronos and dusted her off before stepping back, satisfied with his work.

"I'm appreciative that you did it to Tatsumi, but...why go through the trouble? They're the enemies of the Empire."

"Not any more, remember, the Empire is at its collapse and there's no place for you here any more. And besides...it's no fun to let them perish here, rather, I'd say heal them so that way we can fight them another time." explained Grimmjaw when he winked at her, Esdeath grinning and chuckling.

"I see...well, Grimmjaw, let's be off then. There's nothing left for me here."

"Of course, _Wrath_ , if you would please come with me." replied Grimmjaw as he held a hand out to her and bowed slightly.

Esdeath giggled as she took his hand, "Oh my, what a gentleman you are."

They shared a laugh as he led her out of the underground caverns and back to the surface where everything was still frozen. They casually strolled through the crowded streets filled with civilians, soldiers from both sides, and the rubble caused by all of the fighting within the Imperial Capital, not even batting an eyelash at the distressed looks some of the people had as they walked by. Esdeath even noticed some soldiers that were from her army itself, but she paid no attention and continued to walk with Grimmjaw until they were out through the busted down front gates. They continued to walk past the lines of siege artillery and Revolutionary Army soldiers still surrounding the city from the outside until they were far away from everything.

"Here we are." said Grimmjaw as he unfroze two horses tied to a nearby tree, the animals snorting. "Your chariot awaits, Ice Queen."

"Oh you flatter me too much, Grimmjaw." said Esdeath with a giggle when she was helped up onto her horse by the man, Grimmjaw climbing up on his afterwards.

When they were both on their way, he took out Chronos and clicked the latch release once, the entire area surrounding the Imperial Capital unfreezing instantly. With Akame she finished her swipe with Murasame and gasped when she met nothing but air and fell to the ground, the assassin getting up instantly and looking around for any sign of her enemy...and found nothing.

"W-What…?"

And down below what used to be the Imperial Palace, when time unfroze, Prime Minister Honest was at first confident that he could be able to escape from the enraged lioness member of Night Raid, but when he saw the bullets he had fired lying useless on the ground at his feet and Leone there over him completely unharmed, he felt his heart fly all the way up into his throat.

Leone on the other hand took one look at herself and, after determining something must have happened in order to remove the bullets from her abdomen _and_ miraculously repair Lionelle, she pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on what was before her.

"I don't know what's happened, but...I'm glad it did. Come here you heartless fucker!"

Outside the ice barrier that had been formed around the ruins was broken through and a stream of Revolutionary Army soldiers came flooding in, with Najenda leading the horde. She spotted Akame and rode over to her with her horse, expecting to see the corpse of Esdeath next to her but instead she got a miracle.

Tatsumi was standing next to Akame hugging her gently, his eyes closed and a caring expression on his face. Najenda was utterly speechless, just earlier he had fully been consumed by his armor and the dragon Tyrant, and now he was back to normal with Incursio's key resting on a nearby piece of stone.

When he heard her approach he opened his eyes and looked up at her, smiling and saying, "Hey Najenda...it seems there's a lot we need to talk about…"

At that moment a huge pile of rubble was blown apart and expecting a fight the soldiers with Najenda turned their weapons toward the smoke, but lowered them and smiled menacingly when Leone emerged with a bleeding Prime Minister behind her. She dragged him forward then threw him onto the ground, the man grunting as he landed hard on his back under the gaze of all who were present. A huge hole had been forcibly punched through his fat gut and some of his intestines had been pulled out, leaving him utterly paralyzed and to the mercy of those who utterly hated and despised him.

"W-W-What are you all...going to do…?" he asked in a blubbering tone, Leone crossing her arms and grinning madly.

"You were always the one pulling all the strings...so it's only right that you die the most cruel, repulsive, ruthless death possible." said Leone darkly, Honest's eyes shooting wide open when he began to wail and plead and beg for anything but that.

A quick order from Najenda had the soldiers take the blubbering fat politician away before his crying drove them all insane, and once his unbearable voice was out of earshot, the surviving members of Night Raid aside from Mine, who was still in a coma, all looked at one another. Leone's expression instantly brightened when she saw Tatsumi back to normal and she went to him, hugging him and pressing his face up against her tits like she always did.

"You're back to normal! How? What happened?"

"There's a lot of unanswered questions here, so it'd be best if we wait until we're behind closed doors. So, for now, all of you, enjoy yourselves." said Najenda with a slight grin as bells were rung across the entire capital, signaling the end of a long and brutal conflict. "Enjoy our hard-fought victory...you've earned it."


	3. End of an Era

A/N Already splitting off from the main story, great start! Unlike A Different Path, that diverged away near the beginning, this is starting at the very end and going off on a completely different tangent. I hope you guys will like it. I'll also tell you this now, if you couldn't guess from when the crucifixions were ordered for all of those guys...this story will be dark, darker then the previous Akame ga Kill fanfic. There's gonna be a lot of things in this story that shouldn't be taken lightly, so bear with me on that. I'll be delving deep into the deep, dark abyss to pull out whatever I find. I have big plans for this…*big* plans...heuhuehue...hope you all enjoy the ride~.  
Leave a fav and review.

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 **Chapter 2 - End of an Era**

A few days had passed since the fall of the Imperial Capital, and reconstruction efforts had already been put into effect by the interim government, of which Najenda was a part of. For the instigators of the awful and brutish conflict that had led to so many casualties on both sides, the child Emperor had been recovered from the Shikoutazer and jailed, and the Prime Minister...he had gotten what he had deserved.

Piece of flesh by piece of flesh, his body was carved away by any who wished to rip a piece away from the awful politician, just like he had ripped away something from them during his reign.

Prime Minister Honest's execution was not censored and left in the annals of history as the most gruesome, ghastly event it was. They had literally drawn out every last blood-curdling scream before his life came to an end...a mercy unwillingly granted to him, for his debt to the citizens of the Empire still remained unfulfilled.

Within Lubbock's bookstore, an old Night Raid hideout that had long since been left abandoned out of respect for their green-haired comrade, the assassin organization's remaining members met to talk one final time before their eventual dismemberment, since they were no longer needed. The Revolutionary Doctor with Perfector was there as well, going through an extensive and in-depth check up on Tatsumi while Najenda, Akame and Leone all sat in silence in the hideout's common room watching him. Finally the Doctor stepped back and took off Perfector, running a hand through his hair in total disbelief.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but...Tyrant's no longer present in his body...he's well and truly back to normal."

"That's a relief…" said Najenda with a sigh as she looked at Tatsumi and smiled. "Good to have you back, Tatsumi."

"Thanks...and to be perfectly honest, whatever happened to me, I thought it would happen to Incursio too, but...it didn't. It was like it was focused on me entirely." replied Tatsumi as the Doctor packed his things and bid them all farewell, leaving them to their own devices.

"Which should lead us to why we're all here...right, Najenda?" asked Leone with a glance at the former General, Najenda nodding while Tatsumi took a seat next to Akame so that she could lean on him.

The markings she had gotten from using Murasame's Trump Card had since vanished, but they had left faded red scars behind all across her body that plagued her with constant pain as a result of taking in the deadly poison, and until she got used to it she needed support.

"Yes...let's get started." she leaned forward in her chair and looked at the three of them, her expression radiating utter seriousness. "Talk to me...what happened."

Akame raised her hand first, wincing as she did because of the pain, but she looked at Najenda and lowered her gaze somewhat. "I don't know what happened, but...Esdeath vanished without a trace."

Dead silence gripped the room as they all looked at her, the assassin finally bringing her head up and nodding.

"It's true. One second she was there, and the next, gone without a trace. I couldn't even sense her vile aura...it was like her very existence had been wiped clean off the face of the earth."

"That's why there was no corpse left behind...could she have fled?" asked Leone.  
"We don't know. I've already dispatched hunting parties to search the Empire for any signs of her, but...at this point, we can't consider her dead." said Najenda before she turned to Tatsumi. "Tatsumi?"

"Well...like you guys already knew...I was being taken over by Tyrant, the dragon inside of my armor." he started, looking down at his hand for a few seconds and flexing his fingers. "The last thing I remember is Akame cutting me with Murasame, and when I woke up, I was back to normal. I'd like to think that her sword's poison somehow killed Tyrant, but I can still feel the dragon inside of Incursio every time I hold the Key. It's like someone or something reversed time and brought me back to a point before Tyrant first started to try and take over my body, to before the fight on my execution day."

"The same thing happened to me. I know for a fact that when I was about to capture Honest, he used a Teigu built into his crown to destroy Lionelle, and then shot me in the gut with a pistol." added Leone, Akame and Tatsumi gasping while Najenda just stared. "I could have died that day, but somehow, like Tatsumi said, time was reversed to where I had my Teigu back and the bullets were lying on the ground at my feet."

Najenda covered her mouth with her hand and tried to figure out some logical solution to these far-fetched stories of time reversal, but she couldn't figure one out at all. It should be impossible, but she knew that none of the people in this room would think of lying about such serious matters like Tatsumi being taken over by Tyrant and Leone almost dying. Before they could go more in depth they heard the entrance to the hideout open and walking in came Wave with a smile as he waved at everyone.

"Yo." he said, Tatsumi grinning at him as he got up and went to his opposite and rival.

"Hey Wave, thanks again for helping me back there. I needed it."

"No problem. I'm just glad that you're not turning into a dragon any more. You look better like this now then with the horns coming out of your head." said Wave with a chuckle as he shook hands with Tatsumi, the assassin smiling cheesily as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But I didn't come alone."

He turned toward the staircase he walked down and Akame's eyes lit up when her little sister came walking down them, and when their eyes met both sisters were filled with joy. Kurome ran to her older sister and hugged her, being careful not to squeeze too hard since she could see that Akame was in pain from all of the scars and Murasame's poison circulating through her bloodstream.

"Sis...you…"

"It's okay Kurome...I'll be fine. I'm already getting used to it." said Akame with a smile as Kurome sat down next to her.

"Isn't it dangerous for you guys to be here, now that the old Empire's fallen? You were Jaegers, after all, and Kurome was a member of the Group of Terror." asked Leone, Wave leaning against a wall while Tatsumi returned to Akame's side.

"A little, yes, but everyone is too focused on rebuilding to worry about us. And besides, the Jaegers held a particularly good relationship with the Imperial Capital's citizens, so it's not all bad." replied Wave.

"We're still gonna live away from here...there's too many bad memories…" said Kurome softly, Akame hugging her while Tatsumi looked at her with a sympathetic expression.

"Well, I wish you two good luck then. Wave...you remember what we talked about, right?" asked Najenda, the former Jaeger nodding.

"Yes, and I will. You can count on it."

 **\- Nation of Teppelin, Western Nations -**

 **\- One Week Later -**

Najenda and Akame, who could now walk on her own, followed Tatsumi as they walked with him up a grass hill toward a rural countryside home, the place where they had all been eagerly to go to ever since she was sent her. Tatsumi looked up and his heart skipped a beat when she saw, standing underneath a cherry blossom tree, was the mother of Mine, her long flowing pink hair blowing softly in the wind as she held on to her daughter's wheelchair, their friend herself sitting in it with a blank expression on her face.

When they felt they were close enough Najenda and Akame stopped, letting Tatsumi continue on until he was a few feet away from Mine. Her mother left them alone to return back to her home a little farther off down the other side of the hill, quiet place to live far away from the cities and other people.

Tatsumi looked at her for a few seconds, his hands closing up into fists as he recalled the day she slipped into her coma, and he took one step closer and took a breath to gather himself. "Mine...I'm back…"

Mine made no response and continued to stare stoically at him. Tatsumi's heart tightened up a little and he took another step forward before he couldn't support himself from the pain and collapsed to his hands knees, a single tear appearing in the corner of his eye.

"From now on...I-I'll be by your side…" he said with a stutter as he looked away from her.

The sniper continued to stare off into the distance for another few seconds before her eyes widened slightly and she blinked, some color returning back to her skin while her lips moved slightly. Her hands twitched a little and she took a breath, Tatsumi not seeing this at all until finally he heard one of the most beautiful things he could possibly ever hope to hear...her voice.

"Tat...sumi…?"

His eyes shot wide open and he brought his head up, looking right at Mine and seeing her staring directly at him with just as much shock on her face as his. Her lower lip trembled and tears started to roll down her cheeks when she saw him there, in person, waiting for her. This, coupled with the last memories of him that she had on the day they fought Great General Budo, was enough to make her push out of the wheelchair and throw herself at him whilst crying tears of joy.

Both Najenda and Akame watched with smiles as they reunited after being apart for so long, the former General and assassin feeling nothing but happiness for them.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" asked Akame as a slight breeze blew through her hair.

"Yeah...was it just caring nursing and time that healed her?" replied Najenda.

"I think it was the overwhelming power of love and memories, to be honest."

They both laughed when they watched Tatsumi's reaction to Mine telling him that she was pregnant with their child, and Najenda turned to Akame in order to hear it from her since they were too engrossed in one another to talk to them.

"Is that really true? When did it happen?"

"Once, in the middle of the night, when I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water...I saw Mine fired up trying her best to make Tatsumi forget about Esdeath." explained Akame happily as they watched Tatsumi embrace Mine and share a kiss with her, accepting the fact that they were going to have a child together.

"Now this is an ending I can get behind." said Najenda before Tatsumi and Mine walked over to her and Akame, holding hands, so they could greet Mine too and tell her everything that's gone on while she was gone.

Later, the four of them returned to the Imperial Capital to go back to Leone, who was overjoyed to see Mine back, but as soon as she heard from her and Tatsumi that they were going to have a child she flipped out. Things were finally starting to look up, with Tatsumi's village receiving a regular allowance that allowed for none of them to ever go hungry again at the behest of the man himself, and Wave and Kurome being able to live on their own in order to heal Kurome, the two being visited regularly by Akame and the others.

Later, Akame embarked upon the great seas headed for a small island nation written about in the world book, Rongo Rongo. According to the Rongo Rongo, Murasame's roots lied in that island nation, which meant a way to heal her body and negate the pain it was constantly racked with could lie there, waiting to be discovered.

Before leaving, work had to be done to ensure nothing else like what Honest did to the Empire of old could happen again. Not just the Prime Minister, but all his traitorous successors were all found and properly disposed of...to ensure that no more seeds for disaster and misfortune remained to be sowed. The New Kingdom's government was eventually stabilized, being made up of a Cabinet whose members all had equal say and footing. Thus, from the dark times where the value of a life was worthless...the New Kingdom blossomed into a gentle era where peace prospered over the land. With that, there came a price.

Night Raid, they were known as a criminal organization that shook the Empire to its very core. A group of assassins that worked from the shadows, killing those who sought to only bring about despair to those around them in exchange for personal gain and power. In the history books of the New Kingdom, however...there will be found not a single word or mention of their existence. They would fade away into obscurity, being nothing but a legend.

And for them...those who survived...they were okay with this. Their fight was over, it was time to rest their tired, aching and scarred bodies...and to heal their damaged souls.

 **\- Earlier that Week -**

 **\- Four Days after Prime Minister Honest's death -**

Mine and Tatsumi were laying down next to one another in her bed at her parents' home, the two holding hands underneath the covers. Mine had already fallen asleep, but Tatsumi remained wide awake, his mind flying faster then the speed of light over something he had found earlier. It was still in his other hand, and he had kept it hidden behind his fingers the entire time until they had gone to bed for the night.

Now that Mine was asleep, her pulled his right arm out from the bed covers and held his hand above his face, his secondary fingers curling up so that his index infer and thumb could hold the object he had been hiding.

" _Esdeath…_ " he thought, the moon's light coming in through the bedside window causing the ice cross he held twinkle.

He had found tthe little trinket in one of his jacket pockets earlier that day, and as soon as he saw it he knew for a fact exactly who it had come from. Esdeath herself must have made the cross and put it into his jacket before vanishing without a trace, which meant one thing to him. Despite all of their talk and the young assassin rejecting her, and the General pledging to kill him so that no one else could have him, she still held romantic feelings toward him.

"N _ow that the Empire is gone...what will you do now...Esdeath?_ "

 **\- Holy Capital of Zion, Judecca -**

Lazarus walked slowly through the streets of Zion, the tremendous pain in his body ceasing to falter. Any person that saw him immediately stepped to the side to try and get out of his way, due the fear they developed upon gazing at him.  
Warsaw had been swift and cruel on his punishment for helping Esdia escape the country. He was whipped and lashed, leaving an innumerable amount of still-healing scars on his body that stung every time he moved and threatened to split open at any time. The worst of it all was that an unspeakable act, one that would always forever leave him in a state of shame to those around him, had been done onto him that no one should ever have to endure.

His face was severely burned and scarred for his actions, leaving him as an unrecognizable, horrifying monster, and to hide his face they locked his head within a helmet-type Arma named "Tartarus", one that constantly feeds on his stamina and produces an incessant, nagging burning sensation on his scarred face that would forever torment him.

There was no way to remove the helmet by his own means, it was sealed around his head without a lock and key even included. The only was the pain would stop would be when he was six feet under, inside of a coffin.

He trudged toward large crowd gathered at the courtyard resting before the newly constructed Holy Palace, the old one that Karna Masta resided in being torn down in order to erase his place in the history of Zion, and looked up over the masses to the gut-wrenching show that was on display.

What Maxwell had called for, Warsaw delivered. Strung up on large wooden crosses high above the crowd for all to see, naked and without any shred of dignity, were Karna Masta, his wife, his sons, his daughters, every member of his immediate and extended family were crucified before the Holy Palace. To identify who they were...their heads had been cut off and mounted on rods at the foot of their crosses, their frozen looks of either pain, suffering, or sadness there for all to witness.

Lazarus felt his heart constrict when he saw his brother's body at the forefront of all the rest, and all he could do was watch in disgust as Maxwell herself, now the new Holy Empress of Judecca, walked out from the massive doors of the Holy Palace with Warsaw by her side to the clapping of the thousands gathered there.  
In a matter of days since she enacted her silent coup, she had already hypnotized the people into believing that she would bring their nation into a new era of prosperity and strength, and that she had been bestowed with divine powers that will let her accomplish this.

"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause…" murmured Lazarus under his breath with a raspy voice before he felt something tug on his suit.

He glanced down and looked fondly at a small girl no more then fourteen years old with bright red hair, unique red and orange eyes, a skin-tight dark purple leotard-like suit, a large hood with ears and armored vambraces and clawed gloves. She looked up at him innocently and motioned in the direction of Maxwell.

"Papa...do you want me to kill her?" asked the girl, Lazarus chuckling as he held her hand and turned away from the horrible scene.

"No, my little Yuuki, not today...we must wait for when the time is right. Now come along, let's go home." he said as he walked her down the street.

As they left, Warsaw eyed them carefully from his spot next to Maxwell, and as she waved she glanced back at him and smiled a little. "Are the Inquisitors ready?"

"Indeed, Mistress. They are, Doroline's already given them their orders."

"Very good, tell her to have them depart immediately for the Empire and hunt down Princess Esdia. She's the only threat to my rule that remains."

"But of course, my Mistress. It shall be done."


	4. A Quiet Life

A/N Yes, this story is shaping up to be quite a good one. The plot is coming together all inside of my mind...and it's turning into an absolute horror show...in a good way. Hehe, prepare thy anuses, biatches.

Leave a fav and review.

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 **Chapter 3 - A Quiet Life**

 **\- Two Years Later -**

The sun began to rise on a beautiful morning over the countryside, the rolling green hills populated by some trees here and there only adding to the serenity. In the center of the plain sat a comfy looking cottage, the small house itself surrounded by tall stalks of grass that waved softly in the wind as it blew across the plains. Inside the only bedroom aside from the guest bedroom was an older Tatsumi, the young man now twenty one years old, was soundly sleeping next to the most important person in the world to him, his beautiful wife Mine. Both were snuggling with each other underneath the covers, spooning with Tatsumi's arms wrapped around her waist and abdomen.

As the morning sun peeked into the room through the window and struck their faces, Tatsumi's brow furrowed and he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw being the pink hair of his true love below his chin. He smiled as he moved his head down and smelled her hair, Mine's eyes fluttering open and feeling him sniffing her hair, which caused her to giggle.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." said Tatsumi when Mine turned over on her other arm to face Tatsumi and blushed.

"Good morning…" she replied before they shared a kiss.

After a minute of kissing, Mine's cheeks had turned red and she gave Tatsumi a look that only he could understand, and he grinned as he ran a hand gently along her hip.

"You sure you want it Mine?"

"Mhmm...it's been a while, and we've been taking care of Unryuu a lot, so...maybe…" said Mine as her blush got redder, her hand tracing the abs he had gotten from constant training every day.

It was one of the habits he had gotten from Bulat, and he had continued to do so out of respect for Bulat's memory since he still considered the deceased Night Raid memory as a big brother. And it was something that he found to be quite enjoyable and rewarding, since whenever he'd travel to the Imperial Capital to buy food and other personals with Mine he'd always get head turns.

"If my loving wife wants it, then I won't keep her from it." said Tatsumi before they began to kiss again, this time around with more passion that began to grow like a small ember into a flame.

Mine then slowly climbed over Tatsumi under the covers, straddling him until she finally broke away from his lips and leaned back to the upright position, the covers going with her and falling down her back into a pile that covered both of their legs.

Tatsumi and Mine were both completely naked, and Tatsumi could only smile as he gazed upon the body of his loved one, which belonged only to him. In the two years since waking from her coma to now, Mine had come into her own and matured a lot, gaining a voluptuous womanly body with excellent hips, full breasts that would make any man do a double-take, and Tatsumi's favorite, a well-rounded plump ass.

"My god...you're so beautiful…" he remarked, Mine giggling as she started to move her hips back and forth slowly across his crotch.

"You tell me that every day…"

"Well because it's the undeniable truth, Mine. You're the most beautiful girl I know, you'd give even Leone a run for her money." said Tatsumi, Mine's cheeks turning redder as she averted her gaze.

"I-Idiot!" she said, Tatsumi laughing before he ran his hands up and down along Mine's thighs, the pink-haired beauty smiling as she looked back at him and touched his right hand with her left, the golden rings they shared making a light "clink" when they connected.

"I love you, Tatsumi…" she said truthfully with her heart as she moved her hips, feeling his slowly growing member rubbing against her pussy's lips.

"I love you too, Mine."

Mine then giggled as she slid Tatsumi's hands to her ass and put her hands on his chest, lifting up her rear end and reached underneath to grab his erect cock and gently stroke it lovingly. Tatsumi felt chills run up and down his spine at her touch and expert skill and he smiled, his hands wrapping around her ass and squeezing each cheek as he moved them in slow circular motions.

"Aaaah...you love my ass…" murmured Mine with a moan, Tatsumi nodding his head.

"It's the best, Mine." he replied before he gave it a gentle slap, the cheek jiggling a little.

Mine stroked him off for a few more times before she held it still and began to rub his head against her folds, wetting it slightly with the juices she was starting to leak from the pleasure of Tatsumi's hands kneading her ass cheeks like fresh bread dough. When she felt like it was the right time, she lifted herself up a little more and touched the head a few more times before she pushed it past her lips into her, sluggishly sliding down its length until it she reached the base at Tatsumi's waist.

"Nngh...I'll never get tired of this...it always feels so amazing…" she said with a moan as she looked at her crotch and gently rubbed her clit with her index and middle fingers.

"I still think back to that day when we had sex in the kitchen that night...you were beautiful in the moonlight." Tatsumi said before he looked at her from top to bottom. "And now...you're utterly gorgeous."

Mine giggled before she started to rock her hips up and down, lazily riding him just like they've always done every time they've had sex after Mine had given birth to Unryuu around a year before. She was taking a highly recommended birth control pill, which enabled the two young lovers to enjoy themselves without Tatsumi having to wear a condom to ensure that she wouldn't get pregnant again.

They always kept that possibility in the back of their minds though, the two of them knowing that one day they might decide to have another child. For here and now though, sex to them was a way of feeling their love for one another, a bond they both shared and kept the closest to their hearts.

Mine let out another moan when Tatsumi took his left hand off her ass in order to grope her tits with it, bouncing them on his hand before gripping the left breast and squeezing softly, his thumb gently rubbing her nipple. Every time Mine moved her hips a small squishing noise came from her pussy as his dick moved along her inner walls, the sounds it made music to her ears and serving to arouse her even more.

For ten long, amazingly slow minutes, they had slow sex on top of their bed until Tatsumi clenched his jaw muscles and without a verbal warning he came inside of Mine, spraying his semen and reaching her womb easily. Mine rolled her tongue out and let out a happy sigh of pleasure as she felt her husband's cum inside of her, its warmth one of her favorite sensations.

She leaned down and gave Tatsumi a kiss on the lips before she slid off of his dick, a soft pop coming from her lips when his head separated from them. A tiny bit of his semen began to drip out from her lips before she wiped it away with her fingers and licked it.

"I never would have guessed you were so perverted, Mine. It's a little scary." said Tatsumi with a chuckle, Mine giggling as she moved to the edge of the bed and got up, stretching her arms out before she flipped some of her long pink hair over her shoulders.

"Well...me neither, but...I can't help myself when I'm around you…" she replied with a blush as she glanced over her shoulder back at him.

Tatsumi grinned and got out of bed, playfully slapping her ass lightly on his way to the bathroom to shower first. Once the water was warm enough he climbed in and closed the shower curtains while Mine took off their soiled bed sheets and put them in a pile next to the bedroom door for cleaning.

She developed a mischievous grin after putting on a fresh set of bed sheets and snuck her way to the bathroom, her feet hardly making any sound at all on the carpet as she crept toward the shower. Unfortunately that didn't hide her from behind sensed by Tatsumi, and before she could pull her prank by flushing the toilet, he snagged her and pulled her into the shower, Mine yelping from the sudden grab.

Tatsumi then pulled her into a kiss and Mine's eyelids fluttered for a moment before she closed her eyes and kissed him back, the warm water wetting her hair and flowing down her erotic body. He ran his hands down her back and waist all the way to her ass, groping it a little before he lifted up one of her legs and held it around his waist by the thigh, Mine giggling.

"Getting clean and dirty at the same time...you idiot~."

"I couldn't resist...you're so beautiful…" murmured Tatsumi before her penetrated her again with his rod, Mine moaning in pleasure as they began to have shower sex.

A few minutes later they left the shower together, the two of them happy as can be when they stood in front of their mirror to start the day. Brush the teeth, put on the deodorant, brush the hair, it was a system they repeated every day now, and they loved it.

Two years its been since the end of the Revolution and the deaths of Prime Minister Honest and the Child Emperor, the latter by the guillotine, however he went out with dignity and said not a word to try and make excuses for his actions. And since then, Tatsumi and Mine, after marrying in the Imperial Capital in the company of their friends, and the Lord himself, the religious leader of the Path of Peace presiding over their ceremony as the Priest who wed them, they had retired from the countryside and have lived a good quiet life.

It was out here that they could slowly begin to heal themselves from all the pain and strife of the Revolution, of dealing with the atrocities being a member of Night Raid brought them at odds with, and they had each other to make it easier. A little under a year later Mine gave birth to their child, a daughter they named Unryuu for the softness of her light pink hair being akin to clouds and that her father's name meant "Sleeping Dragon", it would make sense to give her a name that meant "Cloud Dragon".

Tatsumi pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and a white t-shirt while Mine finished straightening her hair and slipped on a pair of pink panties as well as a t-shirt. While she was brushing her teeth Tatsumi walked by her and gave her another playful slap on the ass, making her giggle as he went toward the door.

"I'll check up on Unryuu, babe." he said before opening the bedroom door, taking a breath and moving down the hall to the next room over.

He silently opened it and peeked inside, a warm smile overcoming his face when he spotted his daughter resting underneath the covers of her small bed crib, softly breathing with a tranquil look on her face. Between her tiny arms was a fluffy lion stuffed animal, a gift from Leone, and it was one of her favorite toys and would hardly go anywhere without her "Hobbes". He bent down next to her and softly stroked her light pink hair, Mine appearing in the doorway behind them and smiling when Unryuu slowly woke up and saw her father looking at with a loving gaze.

"Daddy!" she said with a smile as she reached out with her hand, but before she could Tatsumi brought his hands up and covered his face.

When Unryuu's smile dropped for a few moments, he quickly opened them up again and said, "Peekaboo!"

Unryuu giggled happily and Mine herself couldn't help but laugh a little as well, Tatsumi taking a few moments to play with his daughter before he lifted her up out of bed, Hobbes in her grasp, and carried her gently in his arms.

"Good morning beautiful." he said as he poked her gently on the nose, producing another giggle from Unryuu.

Mine then walked up behind him and smiled at her daughter, Unryuu seeing her and returning the gesture as well. "Mama!"

"Hello sweetie!" she replied as she kissed her daugher on the forehead.

They left the baby room and took Unryuu with them on their way downstairs to the kitchen, Tatsumi putting her into her high chair, strapping her in securely and poking her on the nose while snickering a little. He tugged on Hobbes a little and Unryuu let go of his arm, Tatsumi taking the stuffed lion and setting him down in a miniature chair he had added on to the high-chair so that he could sit with Unryuu.

As Unryuu held a conversation with her stuffed Lion, Tatsumi joined Mine in the kitchen and helped her prepare breakfast for the two of them, Mine cutting up some fruit to have in a fruit bowl while Tatsumi fired up the stove to start cooking eggs and bacon. When Mine was in the middle of cutting up bananas they heard a knock on their door and she set down the knife, telling Tatsumi that she'd go see who it was before she left his side.

She approached the door and opened it, her expression lighting up with joy when Leone herself stood on the front steps with a grin on her face. "Hiya!"

"Hey Leone." said Mine as the two friends shared a hug.

"Jeez, every time I see you now I can't believe that you turned out to being such a sexy woman. If I didn't know better, I might fall for you Mine." said Leone with a smirk after the hugged, Mine rolling her eyes before she looked back behind Leone and saw a large bundle resting over the back of the horse she had used to travel to their home.

"Hey Leone, what's that?" asked Mine after they stopped hugging, the lioness glancing back over her shoulder and chuckling.

"That's actually the reason why I cam here. You two busy?"

"No, we were in the middle of cooking breakfast for us and Unryuu. Care to come in?" asked Mine, Leone grinning and nodding her head.

They walked inside and Mine closed the door behind them, the smell of eggs and bacon already filling up the house since Tatsumi had took it upon himself to finish breakfast and cut up the rest of the fruits for Mine as well as set the table up with the bowls and plates of food. When he saw Leone walk in with his wife he smiled and went over to her to hug her.

"Hey there Tatsumi, and my...you're looking fine today~. Bulat would be proud." said Leone with a giggle when she felt the product of his training, Tatsumi chuckling.

"Yeah, haven't missed a day yet. Would you like something to eat?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thanks. I have to go get something, so I'll be back shortly." replied Leone before she went over to Unryuu and gave her a funny face, the child giggling at her.

"Leeno!" she said happily, the mispronunciation of her name making Leone laugh at her and poke her on the nose.

"No, it's Leone. Le- _one_. Try it again little one, Le- _one_." she said with a cute voice, Mine and Tatsumi watching with smiles on their faces.

"Le...none." said Unryuu, Leone shaking her head again.

"Le- _one_."

"Le...none. Le-yon. Leone...Leone! Leone!" said Unryuu with a bubbly laugh, the lioness giggling and hugging her gently while she rubbed her cheek against hers.

"Wheeee! You're so adorable I can't stand it!" she said with squeal, Unryuu giggling loudly.

Leone stopped cuddling her after a few seconds and then left to go retrieve the bundled up object from her horse, Mine and Tatsumi in the meantime taking their seats at the table and starting to eat with Unryuu, who had gotten a small bowl of baby food and was eating happily. Leone then came back with the large object in her hands and set it down carefully at the other end of the table with a heavy thud, Tatsumi raising an eyebrow out of intrigue for what the object could be.

"There we go." she said as she wiped her hands off and grinned, Tatsumi setting down his fork so he could focus on it.

"Leone, what is that?"

"Just a little gift from the New Kingdom." she said before she looked specifically at Mine, her expression softening. "Najenda thought you should have this, Mine."

Now with Mine's interest spiked as well, Leone began to unwrap the cloth, layer by layer it grew smaller and developed a more familiar shape to it that both she and Tatsumi began to recognize. When Leone removed the final layer Mine gasped and covered her mouth in shock when the object was revealed to be the Teigu Extase, the giant pair of scissors wielded by their late comrade and friend Sheele before her death. The metal had been freshly polished and cleaned, the two blades glinting in the sunlight coming into the house, and there was a note attached to the panda sticker on its handle.

Tatsumi reached over and took it, reading it and feeling his heart tighten up a little. "It says "My gift to you, Mine and Tatsumi. Sheele would have loved to be at your wedding. Najenda.". Mine…"

He looked to his wife and saw tears started to develope in the corner of her eyes as she stood up and walked to the other end of the table, Leone stepping back to give her some room as she gently ran her finger across one of Extase's blade, the coldness of the metal sending a slight chill up her spine.

"Since we're not at war with anyone, Najenda thought that you two should have Extase since both of you were close to Sheele." said Leone with a soft smile, Mine using both hands to lift up the virtually weightless scissors and look at it closely.

Tatsumi went up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder when she hugged the Teigu and cried silently, her memories of her closest friend returning to her after years of repression. Unryuu could see her mother crying and she watched with a confused look on her face, the child pausing in eating her food. "Mama?"

Mine opened her eyes and looked at her daughter with a smile, replying, "It's okay sweetie...your mother's just...happy right now…"

Mine silently held Extase for another few minutes before she set it back down on the table and hugged Leone, thanking her and Najenda for the gift to which the lioness said it was no problem. She bid them and Unryuu farewell before she left, Tatsumi and Mine waving from the front door as she galloped away on her horse.

"You okay Mine?" asked Tatsumi as he rubbed her arms.

"Mhmm…" she replied before they walked back inside, Tatsumi going into the utilities closet and finding a hammer as well as a few heavy-duty nails.

A few hard swings of the hammer later Tatsumi stood back with Mine to look at Extase as it hung on the wall in their living room next to Incursio's key, the two Teigu relics of the past to them now. Tatsumi hadn't used Incursio in the two years since he had been miraculously saved from being consumed by Tyrant, so he had no idea what would happen if he decided to cloak himself in the armor once more.

"Thanks Tatsumi...I think Sheele would be happy…" she said softly, Tatsumi smiling as he pulled her up against his side and rubbed her left arm.

"Me too, Mine. Me too."

The couple went through the rest of their day, heading out to the nearby town to collect some more food and personals with Unryuu, then returned home to have lunch and relax for the rest of their day by playing with their daughter. Once it came time for Tatsumi to leave and train, he kissed Mine and then departed from the house to go to his usual spot, and whe he finished he came right back to a dinner Mine had prepared for them.

"Thank you Mine, it was delicious." he said with a smile as he picked up his plate and hers, Mine giggling and blushing.

"You're welcome." she said as they washed their dishes together, and once that was done and Unryuu was put to bed, they returned to the living room and sat together on the couch in each other's arms, enjoying their company.

"Spending these days with you...it's so wonderful…" murmured Mine with a smile as she leaned up against him as she sat on his lap, Tatsumi nuzzling the side of her neck with his chin and kissing her cheek.

"It is...everything that we went through, It was worth it to reach this point. I just wish so many people didn't have to die...Sheele, Bulat, Suu, Chelsea, and Lubbock…I wish they could've lived to see all of this..." he said sadly, Mine turned her head around to look at him and felt her heart constrict as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"I-I miss them…" he said in almost a whisper, Mine taking it upon herself to try and cheer him up.

She turned herself around so that she was facing him, her legs on either side of his hips, and cupped his cheeks with her hands so she could look him in the eyes. She wanted him to see the pain in her eyes too, the pain of knowing that they survived and their friends did not, and that they would never be able see the New Kingdom that had been birthed from the end of the corrupt Empire.

"I miss them too Tatsumi...not a single day goes by without me thinking about them...and I'm sure it's the same for Akame, Leone, Kurome and Wave...and the people they've lost." she said softly, her forehead gently touching Tatsumi's.

Tatsumi shuddered when he started to cry softly, his arms wrapping around Mine's waist for comfort. Mine put his head on top of her breasts and held him like a mother would its child, gently running a hand through his hair while he cried to calm him down as he opened up the bottle of emotions that he contained, the ghosts in his closet also coming out.

"I-I feel so guilty...I...I was the newest member...the inexperienced one...a-a-and they all died...w-while I lived...I was weak...I-I couldn't save them…" he sobbed, Mine closing her eyes and hugging him more as he poured his heart out.

"It's okay, Tatsumi...shh...it's okay...we all knew what kind of danger we were in as members of Night Raid…"

"I-I still think of the day...w-w-when I saw C-Chelsea...w-what they did to her…"

"I know...I still have nightmares of Sheele...you're not the only one Tatsumi…" whispered Mine softly, her eyes opening again as she brought Tatsumi's head up to look at him. "I have to take those pills, remember? To treat for the symptoms…"

Tatsumi nod his head slowly, Mine smiling a little as she hugged him gingerly. "The only thing that we can do is remember them and never forget them, because if we forget who they were and the memories they made...they'll cease to exist in our hearts."

She waited in silence as Tatsumi continued to cry for several minutes straight, her hand never ceasing to stop going through his brown hair to comfort him. Eventually after a few minutes he finally managed to run out of tears to shed and he shuddered once, pulling his face from her chest and smiling a little as he looked into her eyes.

"Thank you...I knew there was a reason I married you…"

"Are you sure it wasn't because you have no choice in the matter?" asked Mine with a giggle as she wiped away any remnants of his tears from his eyes and kissed him softly for a few moments, then pulled back, blushing. "Tatsumi...would you like me...to cheer you up…?"

Tatsumi's cheeks turned red and he laughed a little. "I don't want to ask of you for something like that after this morning. If you don't want to, then you don't have to."

"No...I want to...I want you to be happy, Tatsumi." said Mine with a smile before starting to grind her hips against Tatsumi's waist.

Tatsumi sighed and decided that arguing wouldn't work with her, so he leaned back and let his wife do her work with her hips and ass on his crotch. Mine gyrated her hips more and more until she giggled when a lump appeared in his boxer shorts and touched her panties, her cheeks reddening when she felt it throb a little.

"Since we already had sex twice this morning...I'll do something else~." she said huskily as she climbed down from the couch and sat on her knees before Tatsumi.

He watched closely as Mine pulled off the white T-shirt she was wearing and tossed it to the side, showing him her perfect tits, then unbuttoned the flap of his boxer shorts sos she could pull out his dick and started to run her hand along the shaft. Once it was fully erect Mine leaned forward and licked the tip of his head softly, causing Tatsumi to clench his fists and hold back a chill.

She licked it a few more times before she dragged her tongue down his shaft slowly all the way to the base, sucking on the skin softly with her lips then moving back towards the head. She didn't stop until his entire rod was layered with her saliva, and once that was accomplished she began to stroke it with her right hand while she moved down to his balls and sucked softly on one with her lips.

"O-Oh god...M-M-Mine...w-when did you…" said Tatsumi with a shudder, Mine giggling a little when she let go of the nut with a pop and smiled.

"I'm trying something new out...does it feel good…?"

"Y-Yeah...great, actually..." he replied.

Mine smiled happily before she started to stroke his cock harder and returned to sucking on his nuts, running her tongue in slow circles around one of his testicles for a minute before moving to the other. Tatsumi started to feel the pressure grow inside of him and when Mine felt it, she stopped messing with his balls and pulled herself up, pointing his cock right at her chest and gave him an erotic-looking expression on her face as she stroked him with both hands.

"Cum on my tits...then I can do step two~" she said sensually, Tatsumi grunting when he couldn't hold it in and sprayed his load onto her.

Mine closed a single eye and giggled as his hot semen landed on her chest and tits, oozing down the valley between her two mounds and reaching her stomach and belly button. She licked off some stray drops that had gotten on her face near her mouth and rubbed her tits together, spreading the semen around the skin to make them sticky.

"Now for the main course…" she said as she lifted her tits up with both hands and wrapped them around Tatsumi's dick, the head just poking out from her cleavage as she squeezed them around the shaft.

Then she began to move up and down, rubbing his cock with her cum-covered tits, and giggled at the reaction he made to the pleasure. Tatsumi grunted some more and grinned somewhat at how erotic she looked, especially when she leaned forward and started to lick the tip of his dick after every time she moved down with her boobs.

"Y-You're amazing Mine…"

"I know~." she replied before putting her lips around his head and softly sucked, Tatsumi's rod twitching a little from her touch.

She tit-fucked and sucked on his cock for a good few minutes before he felt the same pressure build up again, and after motioning to Mine that he was about to cum she closed her eyes and latched her lips hard around his head. His semen gushed out into her mouth and she gulped down everything that came out from the tip, the white sticky liquid coating her tongue and throat, and when he was done she sucked on him for a few more seconds before letting go with a wet pop.

Mine looked at him with nothing but love in her eyes as she took his rod out from between her tits and began to stroke it softly while she giggled. "I think I'm going to need another shower…"

"What am I going to do with you…"


	5. Delegation from the East

A/N Damn son, Mine is one perverted wife eh? hehehe, Tatsumi got lucky on that part, and she's now sexy af too. Her full appearance will go up on the wiki for her page whenever she's shown with her new clothes on, so you guys will have to rely on your imagination for now hue~. For now, let's move on with the story.

Also - **If any of you guys want to talk to me or anyone else within the FanficCollective, hop onto our Discord server! The link is on the wiki and on my profile.**

Leave a fav and review people!

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - Delegation from the East**

 **\- New Kingdom Town, North of the Imperial Capital -**

It was the early hours of dawn, the sun not even above the horizon yet, when several dark figures entered the town from all sides and converged towards a set location they had previously established. All of them wore the same outfit, black dress shoes, dress pants, a button up white dress shirt beneath a black suit, a black tie, and a pin bearing a unique symbol clipped onto their ties.

Silently they crept through the empty streets, making hardly a sound even with their shoes on the tiled road thanks to cushions built into the soles of the footwear. Eventually they all arrived at a specific building within the town and looked at the darkened windows, the obvious leader of the group stepping forward and producing a multi-purpose tool from a pocket inside his suit in order to pick-lock the door and unlock it. Once he heard the click he withdrew the tool from the doorknob and opened it, three of the suited men silently walking in through the doorway and checking to make sure it was clear.

A hand signal from one brought the leader inside while the other four remained outside, watching the entrance and the perimeter for anyone they deemed a threat or suspicious. The men inside crept their way up stairs, moving toward the bedrooms that rested on the second floor and keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any signs of life.

One of the men drew a dagger from within his suit jacket and silently opened a door, peering inside to see a bed occupied by two figures. He assumed they were the owners of the household and closed the door, signaling to his compatriots that they had to move on.

Door to door they went, arching vigilantly for the one they were there for until they reached the end of the hallway and the last door, a nod from the group's leader telling them this was it.

The other three pulled knives and one opened the door, the four men sneaking into the bedroom and staring at the form in the bed. There was most definitely someone there, and the men had come to take whoever was sleeping soundly underneath the covers back with them. Slowly the leader walked up to the bed and reached out with a gloved hand, pulling back the covers to see what was underneath.

"No dice...she isn't here. She must have slipped away before we arrived." said the man as he stared at the bundle of pillows that had formed the human-like figure. "Pick up her trail again. We can't let her slip away from us."

 **\- Imperial Capital -**

 **\- Two Days Later -**

Najenda woke up from her deep slumber and yawned, a grunt escaping her lips as she picked herself up out of her bed and sat at the edge, rubbing her eye. She was about to rub the other one before she remembered there was no other eye to rub, a gentle touch on the scar over where her right eye used to be bringing back her memory of losing it. The pain from the icicle from her former colleague and friend shooting through it, and the loss of half the world to her.

None of that could be compared to the pain and strife she had to experience as Night Raid's commander, the former General having to deal with the losses of the comrades she had come to care for.

Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, her own Teigu Susanoo, all of the ones she called friends were a blow to her and the other survivors. But the death that hit her the hardest was Lubbock's, the green haired assassin one of her oldest and closest friends.

They were both in the Imperial Army, herself the General of course and Lubbock her soldier, and they had defected together, becoming the first members of Night Raid. She had always been aware of his romantic feelings as well, and it pained her to keep him in the dark about hers, since she had more pressing matters as Night Raid's commander to deal with.

When she heard that he had perished, she was filled with regret and guilt for not telling him sooner how she had felt, and continues to live with these emotions trapped within her heart to this day.

" _Lubbock…_ " she thought as she reached over to a pair of goggles resting on her night stand.

She smiled as she rubbed her thumb over one of the glass lenses and held them tightly, her eye closing as she remembered Lubbock. After a few minutes of silence she tied the goggles around her neck and got ready for the day, putting on her normal black suit and slipping on her eye patch to hide her scar. Then came the new prosthetic arm, this one more human-like and less bulky then the one she used to wear two years prior, so it made it easier to move around.

Najenda then grabbed the last article of clothing she wore, a white and red trench coat with a checkered collar that was standard issue for all members of the Cabinet, the ruling body of political figures that governed the New Kingdom.

Normally she wouldn't wear it around unless the Cabinet had been called for a meeting, but today there had been a meeting scheduled outside of their usual meeting times, so the occasion called for it. She and a few other Cabinet members were meeting with a delegate from the most unknown Eastern Nation they had only heard about during the days of the old Empire, some even thought there was no Eastern Nation.

" _Time to find out, then._ "

She left her meager home, she didn't ask for much when the Revolution had ended, and made the usual walk toward the Capital Building, the nerve center of the whole Imperial Capital and the New Kingdom that had been built over the ruins of the old Imperial Palace that had been mostly destroyed during the rampage of the Shikoutazer.

Najenda smiled as she looked around and saw familiar expressions on everyone she passed, the two years since the fall of the Empire the best the people here have experienced. Without Prime Minister Honest oppressing them, the people of the Imperial Capital were now free to live their lives without worry or fear of some corrupt politicians controlling their very existence.

" _If only you could have lived to see all of this...Lubbock, everyone…_ " she thought regretfully as she put a hand to Lubbock's goggles again.

She arrived at the gates surrounding the Capital Building, the Imperial Policemen guarding it letting her in without delay, and made her way up to a group of similarly dressed people standing before the front doors of the building.

"Ah, Najenda, you're finally here. How was the walk?" asked the oldest gentleman of the group, Najenda smiling as she shook his hand first.

"Fine, as always, Sully. It helps to brighten your day as well to see all of the smiling faces." she replied.

"Indeed." replied Sully with a chuckle.

This was Sullivan, Secretary of State, as well as the Cabinet member that called the meeting. Najenda, thanks to her military experience, was the Secretary of Defense and Homeland Security, and the other person with him was the Attorney General, Mervanka, a woman who was a little bit older then Najenda.

"Hello Najenda, it's good to see you again." said Mervanka with a smile as she shook hands with her, the former General nodding and returning her smile.

"Yes, it is. So, any idea when our delegate will be arriving? she asked.

"Actually, it would appear they just have." said Sully as he pointed behind them at the gate, Najenda and Mervanka turning to see a group of figures approaching the gates and causing quite an odd reaction to arise from the citizens they passed.

Even Najenda herself felt a chill when she saw who was leading the group, a seven and a half foot tall skeleton-like cyborg with a billowing cape and reptilian eyes, that walked with an air of superiority surrounding it. Flanking the cyborg on either side was a black-robed knight of sorts with a feathered t-shaped visored helmet, the men making not a single sound as they kept up in pace with their cyborg leader.

They were let through the gate and the three newcomers approached Najenda, Mervanka and Sully, the cyborg eying them for a few seconds before it spoke.

"I assume you are the leading figures we're meeting with?" it asked with a thick scottish accent.

"Yes, my name is Sullivan, Secretary of State for the New Kingdom. These are my colleagues, Attorney General Mervanka and Secretary of Defense and Homeland Security Najenda." introduced Sully with a smile, Najenda and Mervanka nodding their heads.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"Charmed."

The cyborg nod his head and stood at attention, towering over them as he cleared his throat, if he even had one. "My name if Warsaw, Supreme Vizier of the Holy Empire of Judecca's armed forces and personal attendant to the Holy Empress."

"My what a title, shall we go inside to talk further?" suggested Sully, Warsaw nodding again before he followed them into the building with his guards.

They went to a vacant meeting room and Najenda closed the doors behind them, Warsaw silently ordering his two Archangel guards to stand off on the side while he removed his cloak and sat down at one of the chairs across from the Cabinet members.

"So, Mr. Warsaw, what brings you to the New Kingdom? It's a rare thing indeed to hear from our eastern neighbor." asked Sully, Warsaw putting one arm on the table and tapping its finished wood surface with the tips of his claws.

"The Holy Empress wishes to send you her congratulations on succeeding in your revolution against the old corrupt regime of the Empire. It must have been a long and hard fought victory." he replied, Sully nodding his head and motioning to Najenda.

"Najenda here was in the thick of it. Not many know this, but she used to be a General of the Empire before defecting to the Revolutionary Army and volunteering to become the commander of its black ops division "Night Raid"."

"Is that so?"

Najenda chuckled a little as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Yes, it's true. We were one of the primary reasons we were able to win against the Empire."

"Why aren't you being honored then? Surely heroes to the cause such as yourself should be treated as such." asked Warsaw out of genuine interest.

"We...prefer to remain ambiguous...we were assassins that worked from the shadows, some of us with backgrounds that society would look down upon. And we don't want the publicity either, we all bore witness and experienced a lot of tragedy in our lives, and the survivors need their time to heal."

Warsaw looked at her for a few moments before he closed his eyes and looked away from her, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He opened them again to gaze at Sully and rested both elbows on the table, his clawed hands combing together to cover the lower half of his face.

"So, Secretary, shall we get down to business?"

"But of course. What is it that your nation wants to do with the New Kingdom?"

"We'd like to establish a formal trade agreement between our two nations, since it was to improbable to do so before since you were currently enthralled within a Revolution."

As their meeting commenced about the trade agreement, a commotion was going on at the front gates of the Imperial Capital, where someone was in the midst of swimming through a crowd of people to escape a group of eight men dressed in suits. From the sound of her breathing it was easy to identify her as a female, and the men after her were hell bent on chasing her down by pushing their way through the people to try and reach her.

She turned a sharp corner and very nearly collided with a pair of Imperial Policemen, the two baffled by how quickly she ran past them down the alley before the suited men appeared at the entrance.

"Get her!" shouted one, but before they could resume the chase the Imperial Policemen blocked their way.

"What is your business here with that young girl?"

"None of your business. Move aside." said the group's leader coldly, the Policeman who had questioned them narrowing his eyes.

"State your business here in the Imperial Capital, now. Or we will have to ask you to leave." stated the same officer again as he and his partner pulled out their firearms and aimed them at the men.

Meanwhile the girl had managed to get far away from her pursuers and arrived at a large market area, the girl looking from under her hood at everyone around her to see if there was someone trustworthy looking who could take her in. She rounded a corner and stopped there when she saw two people chatting and laughing it up a third person, a blonde girl.

One had long pink hair tied into a single ponytail offset to the left side of her head and wore a pink cheongsam, and the other wore some typical pants and a white jacket. She watched them for a few minutes before the man and female said goodbye to their blonde friend and began to walk away, the girl decided to follow them silently.

At the Capital Building, Najenda and the other Cabinet members had finished their talk with Warsaw and were seeing the Grand Vizier off with his guards from the fronts steps, the three waving at them before they walked back inside and closed the doors.

"I got a bad vibe from him...I don't know, but it's something I can't wrap my head around." said Najenda with a frown, Sully and Mervanka looking at her with worried expressions.

"Are you sure? Just from this one meeting?" asked Sully.

Najenda nod her head and sighed. "I may be a politician now, but I still have the sixth sense I got when I was a General. I'm not so sure about this Judecca…"

"Then act at your own discretion to ensure our military is ready for anything, Miss Najenda."

"I will. I just hope I'm wrong…"


	6. The Lost Princess

A/N Okay guys, I promise the images for these characters and their pages up on the wiki by next chapter, I promise! Leave a fav and review.

 **Chapter 5 - The Lost Princess**

 **\- Tatsumi and Mine's Home -**

"Okay honey, I'm going to go train. You're going to start cooking right?" asked Tatsumi after they set down the groceries they had bought from the Imperial Capital, Mine nodding.

"Go on Tatsumi, it should be done by the time you get back."

Mine kissed Tatsumi on the lips and smiled as he grinned at her and left their home to go to his usual spot. Close by to their home was small clearing with a few trees, and it was here that Tatsumi shed his shirt and started to go through his routine, the same one he remembered doing with Bulat with some added workouts in it.

Once he was done he was drenched in sweat and used a towel he had brought with him to dry his face and hair off, his muscles glistening in the sun because of the sweat beads all over his skin. He wrapped the towel around his neck and grabbed his shirt, whistling to himself as he made his way down the beaten path back to his home while the sun began to slowly fall towards the horizon.

"Mine, I'm home!" he shouted upon opening the front door, his shirt getting thrown onto a coat rack with his white jacket.

"Okay, I'm in the kitchen! Dinner's almost ready!" he heard Mine announce, Tatsumi taking a whiff of the air and grinning.

"Damn, that smells go-" he started to say as he walked to the kitchen before he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his wife in front of the sink.

Mine was in the process of cooling some noodles down with water, but that wasn't what Tatsumi had stopped for. What had caused him to go silent and stare with wide eyes at her was the fact that she was utterly naked, save for the apron that she wore. While it worked at covering her front half, her back half, namely her wonderful ass, was left completely exposed for Tatsumi to just stare at.

Mine glanced back at him and giggled at his expression, then began to shake her ass side to side a little. "Whatcha looking at there Tatsumi?"

"W-Wow…" was all he could manage to say, Mine letting go of the sink faucet for a moment to bend over a little and use her free hand to spread her ass cheeks apart, flashing him her pussy and asshole.

Almost instantly Tatsumi got uncomfortable around his waist and blushed some at the bulge that appeared in his pants, Mine giggling again as she let go of her ass and resumed washing the cooked noodles. Unbeknownst to her Tatsumi had dropped the towel from around his neck and had begun to sneak up behind her under the cover of the noisy running water.

"So, Tatsumi, how was tr-nyaah!" she asked before she yelped loudly when Tatsumi held her by the waist and shoved his dick all the way into her. "T-T-Tatsumi, you idiot! I-I'm in the middle of something!"

"You're the one wearing an apron while nude, dear. You were asking for it." he countered with a grin as he started to thrust into her softly, causing Mine's cheeks to turn red as she moaned.

"T-That doesn't mean you can just stick your dick into me!" she said before she moaned again and let go of the noodle-filled pot, putting her hands on either side of the sink as Tatsumi fucked her. "Aaah...y-you idiot…"

She glanced at him and smiled a little, Tatsumi winking as he moved a hand up underneath her apron and started to grope her tits. "It'll be quick honey, I promise."

"It better be...a-and don't think about pulling out..." she told him before she gave in to the pleasure and moaned louder, Tatsumi picking up the pace a little.

She started to get wet and made it easier for him to slide his cock inside of her, squishing noises coming from between her thighs as he fucked her faster. Finally after a couple of minutes Tatsumi grunted and came inside of her, filling her womb with his semen and causing her to moan one last time.

"There...all done." he said with a chuckle as he pulled out of her and slapped her ass playfully, Mine giggling as she resumed what she was doing.

Tatsumi went to go get Unryuu while Mine finished setting the table and got the food ready, and soon enough they were at the table eating their pasta while Unryuu was happily eating a smaller plate with her own serving of it, Mine and Tatsumi watching her with smiles on their faces at her hilarious antics. Tatsumi was in the middle of taking a bite before he heard a knock at the door, Mine pausing as well to look at him with a confused expression.

"I got it." he said as he wiped his mouth clean and got up to answer it, Mine getting up after him to quickly head upstairs to their room to put on some sleeping clothes.

Tatsumi arrived at the door and opened it up, becoming surprised when he found someone with a heavy traveling cloak and the hood drawn over their head standing on his doorstep. He couldn't see their face or tell what gender they were, so he stayed on his side of the door frame and looked at them with a wary eye.

"Um, hello there. Could you tell me why you're here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for a place to stay...c-could I come in?"

Tatsumi could tell right off the bat that this person was female just by their voice, and he judged by the rugged look of her cloak that she must travel a lot, meaning she didn't have a permanent home.

"U-Um, sure...let me ask my wife."

"Tatsumi, who's there?" asked Mine as she walked down the stairs while pulling down a sleeping shirt over her tits.

"Speak of the devil. Mine, there's this girl that's asking for a place to stay." he said over his shoulder while she walked up behind him to get a look at her.

"Of course she can stay here. We just made dinner, so if you want, we can fix you a plate of pasta."

The girl only nod her head out of thanks as Mine led her to the kitchen while Tatsumi closed the front door and followed them. When Mine entered the room with the girl Unryuu looked at the newcomer with a mystified look on her face for a few moments before she returned to trying to feed Hobbes with her spoon. Mine sat the girl down at the table and had a plate of pasta in front of her in a heartbeat, the girl beginning to eat it almost just as quick while Mine and Tatsumi sat down opposite of her and watched silently.

After a brief awkward silence Tatsumi said, "You can take your hood off, you know."

"It's okay...I'll keep it on." replied the girl after swallowing a bit of pasta.

"Oh come on, no one else is here except for us. Besides, we're curious to see what you look like." said Mine with a smile, the girl setting down her fork and sitting there for a few moments before she slowly moved her hands up to her hood and pulled it back.

Tatsumi and Mine were astonished to see a beautiful young woman with silvery white hair underneath the hood, the young woman looking at them shyly and retreating a little in her seat. They realized what they were doing and blinked a few times, not looking as hard as they were before now that they got used to her appearance.

"What's your name?" asked Tatsumi when he felt a strange sense of deja vu from her, yet he couldn't put a finger on it.

"E-Esdia." she replied softly, Mine taking her finished plate alongside theirs and Unryuu's to the sink to wash them while Tatsumi continued to talk with her.

"Why'd you come all the way out here? We don't exactly get many visitors except for our friends."

"I saw you at the market...back at the capital. I followed you back here, because you looked trustworthy."

"Trustworthy?" Tatsumi looked back at Mine, who only shrugged. "What do you mean by trustworthy?"

The girl seemed afraid to answer at first, but after seeing Tatsumi's concerned expression she took a deep breath and looked at him again as she twiddled her thumbs. "My Uncle told me to find people I could trust here."

Tatsumi was about to ask her more questions before he looked up and narrowed his eyes when he saw several dark figures standing outside their home through the kitchen window. Mine did as well and almost instantly Esdia became terrified, like she had just seen a ghost, and quickly pulled her hood up and retreated underneath the table. Mine and tatsumi looked at one another and Mine grabbed Unryuu, going upstairs to put her in her bed before coming back downstairs to walk with Tatsumi to the front door and open it.

Standing a few feet away from them was a bald man dressed in a dark suit and tie, a gloved hand in his right pant pocket and an emotionless expression on his face. Tatsumi made a quick scan of the area and countered seven more like him standing in the background, watching them like hawks. They walked out to meet him and stood across from him, Mine seeing a unique pin in his tie and couldn't figure out where the symbol was from.

"Hello there folks, I hope we're not bothering you." said the man with a smile, Tatsumi narrowing his eyes even more as he made sure Mine was somewhat behind him.

"What do you want?"

"We're here for the visitor you have in your home. She ran away from home and we were tasked at bringing her back to her parents." replied the man, Tatsumi eying him while Mine looked at the kitchen window and saw Esdia shaking her head back and forth vigorously.

"Why's she so important?"

"She's a Princess, sir. Her parents would be very thankful to have her back, and we're prepared to give you a large sum of money for her safe return."

"Show us proof then." said Mine with a frown, the man's smile faltering slightly when she challenged his statement.

Suddenly Esdia ran to the open door and shouted, "Don't trust him! They want to kill me!"

Everyone was dead silent, Tatsumi's eyes widening alongside Mine's as they stared down the man in the suit. His smile finally dropped and he reached behind his back for something, his eyes not leaving Tatsumi's.

"Sir, I don't want to do this. Just let us have the girl...and no one will get hurt." he said slowly, Tatsumi's fists clenching up.

Esdia watched them with fear in her eyes and she ran around in the house, trying to find something that would enable Tatsumi and Mine to defend themselves against the men. She finally came to the living room and saw Incursio's key hanging on the wall next to Extase, and with some effort she pulled them both down and ran to the door with one in each hand. She then grunted as she threw them as hard as she could toward Tatsumi and Mine, the couple turning around and seeing the two Teigu laying on the ground at their feet.

The man saw them as well and he stared at Tatsumi for a fraction of a second before the latter dove for the sword, the man drawing out a unique looking pistol and firing. Tatsumi rolled away with the sword in hand, the bullet tossing up dirt, and stood up as he raised the sword up in the air.

"Incursio!" he bellowed as he stabbed the sword into the ground, an explosion of fire coming to life around him as he called out the Teigu's name.

The man and his colleagues, who had coming running up to provide assistance, were blown away by the wind thrown at them by the shockwave and landed on the ground a few meters away. Tatsumi's right eye turned into the familiar red color with the cross-slit pupil as the visage of Incrusio the last time he used it appeared behind him, its features more draconic than human since the incident where he had been saved from Tyrant had left it at the state it was when he had fought Great General Budo.

Mine and Esdia watched in shock and awe as Tatsumi was cloaked in the armor, Mine herself having a flashback to when he had evolved the armor that day and saw its new draconian appearance. The fires died down and Tatsumi was standing there within the armor, looking at himself as he saw it was just like that day, its more segmented, savage appearance more like a dragon making him think back to those days he had used it and felt Tyrant slowly eating away at him.

However this time, he didn't feel a thing, the results of all of his physical training allowing him to better control and manage the armor's immense power reserves. He clenched his clawed hands and stared down the suited men, his anger going through the roof as he formed Incursio's auxiliary armament, Neuntote, in his right hand and pointed the massive red spear at them.

"You made a mistake coming here." he snarled, the men all drawing their firearms and opening fire.

The bullets didn't even scratch Incursio and Tatsumi began to slowly walk towards them, the spear glinting from the setting sun's light. The leader of the group then saw Mine out of the corner of his eye and pointed his pistol right at her, Tatsumi's eyes widening and a roar coming from him at the threatening of his wife.

He was right on top of them in an instant and impaled the man through his entire body with the spear, spraying his blood out in all directions and causing panic to erupt from the other suited men. Some ran away from him to try and avoid his wrath while a couple sprinted toward Mine, intending to take her as a hostage to make Tatsumi surrender.

Mine looked from the men to Tatsumi and when he noticed too late, she quickly picked up Extase and held the lightweight scissor blades in her grasp, pointing them at the men. They opened fire on her, and she didn't know that to do at first before she somehow felt a gentle hand on hers, a relative calm overtaking her as she fluidly deflected the bullets with Extase. While Tatsumi finished off the others, Mine ran up to the two men who had attacked her and with surprising skill she avoided their gunfire and swept the giant blades through the legs of one, robbing him of those limbs, and then opened the scissors to cut off the other's arm that held the gun in its hand.

While he reeled in pain from losing his arm, Mine took Extase and drove the scissors down through the chest of his fallen comrade, killing him, then glared at the other with the bloody Extase in her hand. Suddenly Tatsumi appeared behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, his wife looking up at him and realizing what was going on after he shook his head and dropped Extase to the ground.

"You...who sent you here after Esdia?" he asked as he pressed the tip of Neuntote to his throat, the man grunting from his injury.

"None of your damn business." he snarled before he used his tongue to push out a loose tooth and bit down on it, revealing it to be fake tooth that broke easily and spilled an unknown compound into his mouth.

Almost instantly the man dropped onto his back and started to jerk and spasm wildly, Tatsumi and Mine going down to kneel next to him with looks of shock. He began to foam at the mouth and after a few more seconds he ceased all movement and died, his body going limp.

Tatsumi deactivated Incursio and set the key next to him as he leaned down and sniffed around the man's lips, and almost instantly he pulled away with a disgusted look at the bitter almond odor.

"Cyanide...he poisoned himself." he said, Mine staring at the man for another few seconds before she turned away.

He helped her up and then picked up Incursio's key before he looked at the bloodied Extase, Mine doing the same and then down at her own two hands. "Mine? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah...I just...I wielded Extase…"

"I saw...you looked like Sheele." said Tatsumi in almost a whisper, Mine closing her hands and bending down to pick up the scissor blades.

"I-I don't know what it was, but...when I was using it...it felt like someone was with me guiding my movements, like I had someone's hands over mine."

Tatsumi smiled a little as he hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and kissing her cheek. "Maybe it was Sheele, Mine...she was showing you how to use her Teigu…"

Mine smiled too and closed her eyes and she hugged Extase tighter, a tear emerging from the corner of her eye when she thought she felt Sheel there next to her hugging her as well and giving her that loving smile.

"Thank you Sheele...thank you…"

They spent a few minutes standing there silently before Tatsumi motioned for Esdia to come over to them, the young woman doing so and seeing the state of the corpses of those who had been pursuing her.

"Go get me a shovel from inside, we're going to bury them. Then I have some more questions to ask you." said Tatsumi, Esdia nodding her head before she went back into their house and retrieved a shovel from the tool room, bringing it back so that Tatsumi could dig eight holes in the ground far from their home.

Soon the men were buried underneath mounds of dirt and the three of them made the trek back to the house, Tatsumi returning the shovel while Mine took Esdia to the living room, Extase still in her grasp. He came back and after hanging Incursio and a cleaned Extase back on the wall, then sat down next across from Esdia onto their couch and looked at her for a few moments.

"Esdia...tell us who those people were, and why they were after you." asked Mine softly, Esdia bringing her head up and sighing.

"T-They're Inquisitors...from my home, Judecca."

"Judecca? Where's that?"

"Across the ocean, to the east."

Tatsumi looked at Mine out of shock, since neither of them had ever met someone from across the ocean. The Eastern nation had always been a topic of discussion, since many people didn't even know if it existed or not, so to see and talk with an actual denizen from the almost mythological nation was mind-blowing.

"Why were they after you? Did you run from home...and are you actually a Princess?" asked Tatsumi, Esdia shaking her head.

"No...a-and yes. I am a Princess...the Princess of Judecca, granddaughter to the Holy Emperor Karna Masta…" she replied, her lower lip starting to tremble when she said the latter half of her sentence. "They want to kill me…"

"Why?"

Esdia wiped the tears from her eyes and shuddered, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. "Two years ago, these people attacked my Grandfather and overthrew them. T-This black skeleton thing killed him...a-and if they find me they'll kill me too...my Uncle...he helped me escape…"

"Your Uncle? Who's your Uncle, and do you know if he's still alive?" asked Tatsumi, wanting to see if the Princess knew anything else.

"Lazarus...he's a Prison Warden there, of the Megalith Prison, s-so even though he was my grandfather's brother...t-they wouldn't kill him...I miss him s-so much...h-h-he said he would come for me..."

She started to cry softly and Mine went to her side, hugging her softly while Tatsumi leaned back in the couch and ran a hand through his hair. First Esdia showed up, then the Inquisitors...he felt something bad develope in the pit of his stomach and he looked up at Incursio's key. Mine managed to calm down Esdia and remained at her side as she looked at the two of them, obviously scared for her life.

"P-Please...don't let them take me…"

"We won't, you can count on it." replied Tatsumi with a grin, Esdia blinking a few times and smiling.

"T-T-Thank you…"

He decided that she should get some rest, so he and Mine took her up to a spare bedroom and a pair of sleeping clothes for her to change in, the Princess thanking them again for their kindness. They returned to their room after checking up on Unryuu to make sure she was okay and fast asleep, the couple collapsing onto their bed and letting out heavy breaths of relief. After sitting on their backs for a minute in silence Mine looked over at Tatsumi and smiled a little, punching him lightly in the arm.

"You looked good today, wielding Incursio."

"Heh, thanks. It felt almost natural to me...I guess all of that personal training I do payed off." he smiled back at her before he looked up at the ceiling and sighed again.

"Mine...I've got a bad feeling…"

"What is it Tatsumi?" asked Mine with a worried look at him.

"I don't think we'll be in retirement for very longer…"

They sat there again in silence before Tatsumi turned his head to look at Mine and held up a hand to her. She put her up and they intertwined their fingers, staring into each other's eyes for a few moments before they kissed softly, the thought of fighting once again causing them to realize that same great old fear that they one of them could possibly die.

"I-I don't want to lose you Mine...if something bad happens…" said Tatsumi with a shudder, Mine closing her eyes and kissing him on the forehead.

"I'm not going to die Tatsumi...and you aren't either. If everything goes to shit, we'll survive, just like we have before. Right?"

Tatsumi chuckled a little and hugged his wife gently for another couple of minutes before letting go and getting up to shower and change into some sleeping clothes, since he was still shirtless and wearing his workout pants. After a few minutes he came out of the shower buck naked and grinned when Mine stared directly at his crotch for a split second before averting her gaze.

Remembering what she had asked him earlier while she was in her apron his grin widened and he asked, "See something that you like Mine?"

"M-Maybe…" she said as her blush got redder.

Tatsumi walked up to the edge of the bed, still grinning. "You sure?"

Mine took a couple of glances at him before she grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the bed, Tatsumi grunting before he watched Mine climb over him and straddle his head, her hands immediately going to work to try and get his dick erect.

"You idiot…" she muttered with a giggle, Tatsumi chuckling as she pulled her panties down and then grabbed her ass to bring it closer to his face.

When it was close enough he used the tip of his tongue to lick her pussy lips, Mine gasping and shuddering heavily from the warm and wet touch. Tatsumi licked her several times more before he found her clit and kissed it, causing Mine to moan in a high-pitched voice and start to get wet.

"I-I won't lose to the likes of you!" she declared as she took his erect dick into her left hand and began to jack it off, her other hand fondling his ball sack.

His cock throbbed a little and she giggled when she licked the head and swirled her tongue around it, Tatsumi shivering a little and responding by sucking on her clit, her juices leaking out from her pussy onto his.

"You're so sweet Mine~" he said after taking his lips way for a moment to catch a breath before he resumed licking her, only harder this time.

"Aaah...I-I won't lose!"

She took in his dick and began to suck him off, her tongue continuing to lick his head and shaft as she gave him a blowjob while she kept fondling his balls. She rolled each nut between her fingers gently, since she knew how sensitive they were for males, and moaned again from the growing pleasure Tatsumi was producing for her by eating her out.

They spent the next few minutes like this before Tatsumi finally ended up cumming inside of Mine's mouth, his wife hungrily gulping down all of his semen and letting go of his dick with a satisfying pop and giggling.

"What do you want to do now Tatsumi?" she asked with lust in her tone.

"Maybe...we can try this out~" he said before he took his index finger and traced the outline of her asshole, causing her to shiver.

"A-A-Anal…?" she asked with a stutter, Tatsumi grinning when she saw her expression change. "I-I guess...I can try it…"

She got onto her knees and turned herself around so that she was sitting on Tatsumi's waist, his dick between her ass cheeks brushing against her pussy. He put his hands on her hips and helped guide her as she lifted herself up and positioned the tip of his cock against her second hole, her entire face going red out of embarrassment since this was new territory for the both of them.

"O-Okay...h-h-here I go…" she murmured as she started to push down onto his dick, his head slipping into her asshole and spreading it open.

She gasped loudly and threw her head back while Tatsumi grunted at how tight she was, the two pausing so they could both adjust to the different feeling before Mine looked back at her husband and smiled a little. She kept moving down, moaning and shivering as more of her ass was spread open by his dick until her ass cheeks touched his waist, his entire length now inside of her second hole.

"I-It's so weird…" she said as she moved her hips a little, Tatsumi's grin wavering a little.

"My god Mine...y-you're really tight in there...holy shit…" he said as he watched her strip off her shirt to show him her big tits, then moved down to her crotch where he saw his dick inside of her ass and her pussy looking right back at him.

Mine then started to move slowly, lazily riding him and groaning as his dick rubbed the entirety of her asshole, its pulsating fleshy walls causing Tatsumi to grunt some more. When Mine got used to doing slow anal, she gave a look to her husband and he nodded, Mine starting to ride him faster.

"Aahhhh...m-my ass...I-I-It's spreading open wider…" she said when she put her hands on Tatsumi's her riding causing her tits to bounce up and down.

The pressure already began to build inside of Tatsumi and his dik throbbed a little, Tatsumi grunting once before he looked Mine in the eyes to get her attention, heavy breaths coming from the both of them.

"M-Mine...I-I'm going to cum soon."

"G-G-Go ahead...c-cum inside." she replied Mine starting to use his own hips to thrust upward into Mine for the last few times before he blew his load, coating the inner walls of her asshole with his cum.

Mine covered her mouth to muffle her loud moan in case Esdia was asleep or listening, and after Tatsumi finished she dropped her hands and smiled affectionately at Tatsumi when she started to gyrate her hips slowly with his dick still inside her cum-covered asshole.

"S-So how was it?" asked Tatsumi nervously.

"Surprisingly...good. But not as good as normal sex...maybe every once in awhile, w-we can do anal…" she said with heavy blush, Tatsumi grinning at her.

A few minutes later they were under the covers in their usual spooning positions and it took them no time at all to fall asleep, the young couple silently praying that they wouldn't have to fight in another war.


	7. Hostile Takeover

AN Welp, if you can't already tell, this story has more detailed sex scenes then the last one. Yeah, oh well, fuck it right?

 **Chapter 6 - Hostile Takeover**

 **\- Caeres Ocean -**

 **\- Nightfall -**

Warsaw stood at the bow of a steam-powered transport craft with his two Archangels across the calm dark waters with the moon's glow overhead, the soft wind and the gentle rolling of the waves making the only sounds they heard. Resting on the water out on front of them was a large black mass reminiscent of a ship, its metal hull shimmering from the light being reflected up at it by the water. It was a large warship bristling with guns, and as it sat there docile on the water smoke was billowing out from the four smokestacks it had, and there were men walking along its deck to perform their duties.

Warsaw's boat was raised up via a series of cranes and he stepped out onto the deck, being saluted by the crewmen who were there to receive him. He swiftly departed with his two Archangels to the bridge of the large warship where he knew his other colleagues would be waiting for him to set their plan in motion. After making his way up through the superstructure he arrived at the spacious bridge to the salutes of the ship captain and all of the others that worked inside of the bridge.

"Captain, any news from the Holy Empress?" asked Warsaw as he strode up to the captain.

"Yes, Supreme Vizier. She said that we may begin the attack whenever you see fit."

"Very well. Respond back "We will initiate the attack at dawn" and send it immediately." said Warsaw as he stared out at the landmass several miles away from them, the place where he had just come from.

The captain nodded and one look at a nearby crewman told him to start transmitting the message via morse code, the various clicks from the transmitter device filling the bridge up for a minute. When he was done Warsaw crossed his arms and looked out at the sea to his left and right, counting the five other ships assembled alongside the dreadnaught he was on and nodding his head once to the captain.

An order went to all five for the ships to begin moving toward the coast, and behind them came seven more, and behind those ten more. Each ship carried five hundred troops and other equipment, and in total the fleet assembled alongside Warsaw's Dreadnaught, dubbed "The Invisible Hand", numbered at one thousand ships even. Over two hundred and fifty thousand Judeccan soldiers would be landing on the beach of the New Kingdom before them, with those whom he had met with at the Imperial Capital none the wiser.

" _Even though the New Kingdom has a massive advantage in men...my army possesses the technological advantage as well as the element of surprise._ " thought Warsaw as he watched his massive fleet of ships trudge forward through the water.

He sensed a couple of familiar presences and turned around to face the door as it opened, a lanky man dressed in the most extravagant of military uniforms walking in with five other figures draped in heavy cloaks with large hoods, their faces hidden underneath them. The man's head was covered entirely with a white mask that possessed a mischievous smile that stretched upward from just above the jaw to the top of his cheeks and two crescent moon-shaped eyeholes that provided him vision.

"Are we ready yet? I'm getting impatient with all of this waiting." said the masked man in a hoarse raspy voice, Warsaw narrowing his eyes at him and growling.

"The landings have just begun, now quiet your tongue Gaster, lest I remove it for you."

The man named Gaster held up both his hands in a defensive manner and snickered, a single green and white eye appearing in his mask's left eye socket when some light from the bulbs inside the bridge entered it.

"Calm down there beastie, we're all friends here." he said, Warsaw glaring at him for a few moments before he turned back around to continue watching the landings.

"Get ready to move Gaster, we'll be attacking the capital at dawn. Now get out of my sight." he snarled.

Gaster bowed low to the ground and snickered again before he turned around and left the bridge with his five cloaked entourages, allowing Warsaw to let out a sigh and formulate his battle plans in his head before the actual battle would begin. He had brought a squad of Archangels with him as well, to act as on-field commanders for the rest of his army thanks to their training, and with their strength it bolstered them even more.

The weapon he had heard of, the Shikoutazer, was also gone so there was no worry about facing it, which left only one problem left. The Empire's Teigu users and where they were located.

" _The information Doroline's Inquisitors were able to gather is that there's a large majority of Teigu stored in an underground vault in the capital, and that there are some fairly capable users within the regular army. The ones I'm more worried about are those of the organization of Night Raid…_ " he thought, his analytical mind going into overdrive for a few moments. _"Forget it, I'll worry about that problem when it makes itself known personally. My power is unrivaled...nothing but victory awaits me._ "

 **\- Imperial Capital -**

 **\- Dawn -**

"Why are we here again Wave?"

Kurome looked up at Wave as he walked them through the almost vacant streets of the Imperial Capital, the pair only meeting a few policemen patrolling the streets every now and then. In the two years that had passed since they made themselves scarce, Wave had grown older and wizened up after being away from the city and living with Kurome near medicated hot springs that would heal her. He still looked the same as he had two years ago, and he still carried Grand Chariot with him at all times in order to protect Kurome, however he seldom used it since he was living with damaged internal organs as a result of dual wielding Teigu.

Kurome on the other hand had changed drastically from her former self two years prior. As a result of soaking in the medicated springs her sister had talked about, she had recovered greatly from the damages caused to her body by her extensive drug use in the Group of Terror. Her appearance had also matured as well, only serving to increase her likeness to her older sister, in that her hair, which she maintained in the twin tail style, reached down to just beneath her shoulders and she had matured from her child-like body type from two years prior. She kept the same sailor uniform as well, albeit larger to accommodate the growth spurt she had.

"We're here to see Najenda and talk about the two of us possibly being pardoned for anything we might be accused of being, like us being Jaegers. It couldn't hurt, right?" he replied with as grin, Kurome smiling at him.

"Yeah...and thanks Wave."

"For what?"

"For being with me these past two years...since the Empire fell. They've been the happiest years I've ever had the joy of living." she said with a small smile as she held Wave's hand a little tighter, the former Navy man chuckling.

He brought her closer to him after putting an arm around her shoulders and chuckled one final time before he looked down at her. "Of course. I'd do anything for you Kurome, even take on a whole army."

They continued walking for another few feet before Wave stopped her and held a finger up to his lips, wanting her to be quiet as he listening for the faint noise he had heard. It was a whistle, and it was growing louder and louder by the second before he looked up and had maybe a few seconds to react when a massive artillery shell came screaming down toward him and Kurome. The street and the surrounding buildings were consumed in fire when the high explosive shell exploded, taking out everything within a thirty foot radius and leaving a crater just as big that was thirty feet deep. As the smoke cleared, the dust settled, and sirens began to wail all throughout the Imperial Capital, Wave grunted as he shifted his legs a little to get rid of some stiffness.

He had activated Grand Chariot and darted away from the impact zone of the shell with Kurome wrapped in his arms, the pair getting covering in rubble from a nearby building that had been blown apart by the explosion. He pushed back against a heavy stone slab covering them and grunted until he finally held it up with his back and pushed it over, the slab crashing down onto the ground and casting dust into the air.

"Kurome, are you okay?" he asked with a glance at Kurome, the former assassin coughing and nodding.

"Just some scratches, nothing else. What about you?"

Wave helped her up out of the rubble and chuckled from within Grand Chariot, the armor only having some black marks from the ash and dust that had consumed them upon the shell's explosion.

"I'm fine, Grand Chariot can easily survive something like-"

He was cut off when another resounding boom echoed out from another part of the city, and once he carried Kurome with him up to a nearby tall building they were shocked to see that another artillery shell had fallen onto the city, followed by several other smaller explosions they assumed were from smaller guns.

"We need to get to Najenda, fast!"

Meanwhile heading toward the front gate was the over one hundred thousand man strong army from Judecca that Warsaw himself was leading personally, the man Gaster following behind with his five cloaked entourages. They advanced under the cover of their artillery and the Invisible Hand's bombardment, Warsaw looking up at the massive wall coming up down the path and chuckling somewhat when he saw towering smoke clouds beginning to emerge from the city. There were sirens going on inside and the soldiers within were doubt scrambling to figure out what happened and who was attacking them, which would allow his army to take control of the situation right when the last shell came down.

A loud whistling came from above and the final shell from the Invisible Hand struck the gated part of the wall and blew it to smithereens, sending huge stone fragments and inner structure spraying out in all directions.

"All units charge! Archangels, to me!" shouted Warsaw as he drew a longsword from a scabbard hanging from around his waist and held a hand out, an Archangel handing him a steam rifle that he slung over his shoulder and walked forward while the rest of his arm streamed around him and into the city.

Gaster decided to mop up anyone on top the wall, so he held up a unique violin and scaled the wall with his five cloaked followers and disappeared from sight. Warsaw paid no attention to and continued to move forward, several clicks and hisses coming from the joints in his arm when they split apart into a new pair of arms, each with two fingers, with one holding his sword and another pair holding his rifle at the ready position across his chest.

His Archangels did the same with their rifles, and once they entered the city they set their sights on the Capital Building at the top of the hill overlooking the Imperial Capital. Slowly they advanced toward their target, the elite guardsmen in service to the Supreme Vizier and the Holy Empress gunning down any soldier or policeman with brutal efficiency. The only things they uttered were garbled nonsense, but they seemed to understand one another as did Warsaw, who led them onward fearlessly.

At the Capital Building, Najenda and the other Cabinet members were in an uproar at what to do, the former General herself having to juggle debating with them and sending out orders to the soldiers within the capital in order to repel the enemy. Najenda was about to blow a gasket and try to get everyone to calm down before a sharp crack was heard outside and the door handles to the main atrium were sent flying away with wood fragments like shrapnel. Then marching in came several Archangels, five in total, each of them carrying a rifle that they immediately held at the Cabinet members. One of them uttered an unintelligible sentence in gibberish and two of the elite guardsmen moved up toward them, their rifles still trained and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

" _So it's these guys...which means…_ " thought Najenda before the thing she was referring to walked in through the busted down doors, Warsaw handing his rifle to another Archangel without one next to him and glaring at them.

"Excellent, all of you are here." he said with a chuckle before he went into a fit of coughing, the hunched over cyborg military leader approaching Najenda specifically and glaring at her. "Hello again, Miss Najenda."

"Fuck you." she snarled back, Warsaw's left two eyes twitching slightly before he took one of his hands and backhanded her harshly, knocking her to the ground easily.

"Silence your tongue before me, worm."

Najenda glared up at him as she wiped some blood away from her lip, her anger beginning to rise before she felt a very powerful presence appear behind Warsaw. Before the cyborg could react, a navy blue boot was rammed into the side of his head and sent him flying, the Archangel that was next to him whirling around to engage the enemy only to meet the same fate.

"Wave! Thank goodness you're here! Where's Leone?!" questioned Najenda as Wave lifted her up on the ground.

"Right here!"

Right on cew Leone dropped down from the second floor balcony and landed right on top of one of the Archangels, her legs driving him into the ground and causing the other four Archangels to direct their attention to her. Wave made them pay for that mistake by forming Grand Chariot's Neuntote, the spear blue, and rushed them while shouting over his shoulder for Najenda and the others to run.

They made their way for the door while Leone and Wave kept the Archangels busy, but the one Leone had seemingly knocked out stood back up and shed the black cloak he was wearing, uncovering his body armor. Instantly from the disk built into the back grew two black metallic wings that he used to soar around the Cabinet members and block their exit, his short swords in his hands. At that time Wave was about to punch the Archangel he was fighting before Warsaw appeared suddenly in front of him with one of his clawed feet raised up high in the air.

He grabbed Wave's face with all of the clawed toes and smashed him into the ground, creating a five foot diameter crater beneath him from the impact.

"Insignificant pest...you must be one of those Teigu users, hm?" questioned Warsaw as he kept Wave pinned to the ground and slowly began to close his clawed toes around his head.

Without warning a sword was driving upward through a gap in his ribcage-like abdomen armor and Warsaw grunted, causing him to clutch his chest and tumbled backward a little. He looked for the attacker and found it was Kurome, who had helped Wave get up and now stared down the cyborg general intensely with hate burning in her eyes. He growled and use one of his four hands to pull the sword out, only to he kicked hard in the head again, this time by Leone, who motioned at them to go.

"Go, get out of here. We can't all be captured here! Go find Tatsumi and Mine!" she said quickly when she saw Warsaw recover quickly from her kick and stared her down.

"But Leone, we-"

"GO!" yelled Najenda sternly, Wave and Kurome looking at her and Leone before they quickly left the building past Warsaw's Archangels, the elite soldiers ignoring them as per Warsaw's orders to focus on the Cabinet members.

At that moment Gaster then decided to make his appearance and snickered as he pointed at them from just inside the door while he watched Warsaw's and Leone's staredown. "You know, the two people she said for them to meet, they killed the Inquisitors sent here by Doroline to find the missing Princess."

"What? Why didn't you tell me before the attack?" demanded Warsaw.

"Because you would have gone to take care of them yourself, even though I'm a member of the Inquisitorial. I would much rather be the one to hunt them down, thank you."

"I swear to god if you so much as lay a finger on them, I'll-" Leone started to say before Warsaw was right on top of her in an instant and knocked her out with one blow to the head.

"You swine...fine. Go after them with your little puppets." growled Warsaw as he turned his attention to Najenda and the others.

Gaster snickered and snapped his fingers, the five cloaked figures following him without a word as he took his time leaving the building and walking toward the demolished front gates of the Capital Building grounds. Warsaw growled as he watched one of his most hated acquaintances he was forced to know leave the premises, and once he was gone he stared Najenda down hard and walked over to her while remaining hunched over.

"Your New Kingdom has fallen...surrender this nation to Judecca at once, and I will grant you mercy."

 **\- Tatsumi and Mine's House -**

 **\- Two Hours Later -**

The couple awoke in their own bed at the usual time and they got ready their usual way before going down the hallway to Unryuu's room where Mine was the one to wake her up, Tatsumi smiling at his daughter's reaction. When they went down stairs he moved on to the guest bedroom and gently knocked on the door to see if their newest tenant was awake.

No sound came from inside, so he pushed the door open slowly and peered inside the room to see that Esdia was still sound asleep in her bed, snoring softly with a look of happiness on her face.

Tatsumi chuckled as he closed the door again and made his way downstairs to be with his wife and child, the two parents giving their child breakfast first before themselves and then sat down at the table with their breakfast. A few minutes into their meal they heard footsteps on the stairs and soon enough Esdia appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and smiling a little.

"Good morning…"

"Hello Esdia, would you like some food?" asked Tatsumi, the Princess nodding her head.

Tatsumi got up from the table to get her a plate while she sat down next to Mine, the Princes smiling softly. He returned with a plate filled with their typical breakfast, two pieces of toast with eggs and bacon, and put it down in front of Esdia before he went to his spot and continued eating. Esdia thanked him and started to eat her plate, Mine and Tatsumi both smiling as they watched the Princess eat her food and enjoy it.

"Thank you for this and all of the hospitality you've shown me...I really appreciate it." she said after finishing her toast.

"Of course, it's the right thing to do." replied Mine.  
Esdia smiled softly and continued to eat, Tatsumi and Mine watched her for a few more moments before they returned to eating their own food in silence with their child. The rest of their morning went by the same as it always did with the addition of Esdia, the four plus Unryuu completely unaware of the downfall of the New Kingdom that had just occurred.

 **\- Imperial Capital -**

Warsaw held his hands behind his back as he stared down at his new prisoners, the entirety of the New Kingdom's governing Cabinet as well as the now awake Leone, whom he knew was a friend of Najenda's, sitting on their knees before them. Each one had either a grim or heavily pissed off expression on their face, Leone and Najenda's the darkest.

Warsaw had removed her belt since he knew it was her Teigu, thanks to his extensive research of the Teigu, and so the belt was now in the possession of one of his Archangels, who stood close nearby while he would interrogate the prisoners. The first person he walked up to was Sully, the cyborg commander kneeling before him and stared him in the eyes with his four eyes as he thought of what to ask the man.

"Whatever you want, I'm not saying a word." said Sully darkly, Warsaw caught off guard by his sudden response.

"Well then, that saves me the trouble of asking." he replied before he rammed his hand down onto the top of Sully's head, lifting him up into the air.

All that came from the man's mouth was a scream before Warsaw grasped his body and forcibly ripped off his head with his spinal cord still attached, the cyborg dropping his lifeless body at his feet. He stared at the distorted expression of shock and pain on the man's face as he gripped his head, his bloody spinal cord dangling from his neck like some sick and twisted ornament.

"Y-You...monster…" stuttered another cabinet member, Warsaw glancing at him and dropping the head to the ground.

"Hm? Sorry, I can't hear you."

He brought his clawed foot up and slammed down onto Sully's skull, shattering the bone and pulverizing his head into a bloody mess of bone fragments and brain matter that splattered everywhere.

"Could you speak up again?" asked Warsaw, the cabinet member who had spoken up shaking his head vigorously and refusing to say anything.

Warsaw then returned his attention to those directly before him and kneeled down in front of Najenda, his blood-covered foot mere inches away from her knees. "Now, Miss Najenda...I have a question for you."

Najenda only glared at him in silent fury, her single eye staring so intensly at him that it would have burned a hole through his very head, which is something she would have greatly enjoyed seeing.

"Where is the Teigu vault?" he asked calmly, Najenda only narrowing her eyes and remaining silent.

"I do not have the patience to play this game. Tell me now, or I wall grant you the same fate as your friend." snarled Warsaw as got up close and personal with Najenda, his face mere inches away from hers.

With a shaky hand she reached down and held Leone's hand, defiantly standing against the Supreme Vizier in order to prevent him from discovering the location. After another few moments of staring he got up and took a step back, his cape fluttering behind him.

"Grab them. Those four."

"fg **C** g **o** r **n** y **firm** h **e** d **d**." replied one of the Archangels in a garbled, deep voice as he and several other Archangels approached the group and grabbed two of the Cabinet members, Mervanka, and Leone.

"Get your hands off of me!" she shouted, but a harsh punch from the Archangel jarred her vision and made her easy to handle.

She, alongside Mervanka and the two other Cabinet members were held down on the floor on their stomachs, the Archangels with their impressive strength preventing them from escaping. Najenda and the other members watched in horror as Warsaw walked over to them and stood next to the first in the line, his bloody clawed foot landing heavily next to his head.

"Miss Najenda, please procure the location of the Teigu Vault, _now_." he demanded in a low tone, Najenda swallowing some saliva nervously but remaining silent.

Without warning Warsaw raised his foot up and smashed the man's head into the ground, the force causing it to explode and spray blood everywhere, the shattered remains of his skull and a mutilated brain sticking to Warsaw's foot for a moment before sliding off into a bloody mess on the floor.

"Answer me, Najenda!" bellowed Warsaw, his patience running thin.

"S-Shit, shit, shit!" said Mervanka frantically as she and the others tried to squirm free.

"Najenda!" asked Warsaw one last time before he stomped down on the head of the second Cabinet member on the ground, his fate the same as the one before him.

Mervanka screamed loudly as the right side of her face and hair was covered with blood and brain matter, her body freezing up when she saw Warsaw's foot land on the tiled floor next to her head.

"S-Stop it! You fucking Monster!" said one of the Cabinet members from behind Najenda, who was speechless and shivering in terror.

Warsaw stared down Najenda as he slowly lifted up his foot and hung it over Mervanka's head, who was now crying and doing anything to try and break free from the grasp of the Archangels. Blood dripped from his clawed toes down onto her hair and she whimpered each time a drop hit her, expecting her life to come to and end at a moment's notice.

"Don't tell him anything Najenda!" yelled Leone, Warsaw staring at her with the eyes of a demon before he crushed Mervanka's head and sent chunks of it flying out in all directions.

Then to everyone's horror he picked up her lifeless body and with a snarl he ripped it in half ,flinging each part to the left and the right. "My patience is running thin, Najenda!"

He slammed his foot down next to Leone's head and she stared at it with wide eyes as he raised it up over her head. She continued to squirm and try to break free, but the Archangels held strong and her efforts were rendered useless. Blood was dripping from each toe into Leone's golden blonde hair, staining it red and wetting her skin when it soaked through the strands and dribbled down the back of her neck. This was one of the first times in her life where she felt truly helpless and afraid, her life literally hanging in the balance with Warsaw's judgement maker directly over her head, and if she just so happened to have it crushed into a pool of blood and disfigured flesh there would be no saving her, not even with Lionelle.

"Last chance, Najenda...tell me where the Teigu Vault is." asked Warsaw, Leone flinching as a drop of blood fell onto her cheek.

"Najenda, don't tell him! Don't do it!"

Warsaw slammed his foot into the tile mere inches away from her face, making a small crater and casting dust onto her face, before he held it above her head again and glared at Najenda. "Don't test me, Najenda. Tell me now!"

"Don't!"

Najenda flinched when Warsaw slammed his foot down again, this time on the other side of Leone's head, and snarled as he lifted it up one last time above her head, intending to not miss on purpose again. Terror gripped the hearts of everyone in the room as the vicious cyborg threatened to kill one of Najenda's closest friends and allies, a veteran of the Revolution and a powerful Teigu user like he was snuffing out a tiny candlelit flame.

"I will _not_ miss again...tell me, right now, where is the Teigu Vault?" he asked, drawing out every single word to get his point across that he wasn't messing around.

He looked at Najenda for a couple of more seconds, and when she didn't reply he looked down and raised his foot up higher to brutally execute Leone. He thrust his foot down but stopped mere centimeters away from Leone's head when a cry resonated from his right and echoed within the space, his head slowly turning to look upon the source.

Najenda, with shaking hands, slowly brought her head up to glare at Warsaw with an angry expression coupled with tears streaming down her face. "I-I'll show you...j-just don't...kill her...please…"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Najenda."

He calmly set his foot down on the ground and ordered his Archangels to lift Leone up from the ground, the cyborg going to Najenda and grabbing her by the arm. He brought her up to her feet and pushed her a little out front of him while his Archangels stood behind him with Leone still in their iron grip.

"Lead me there at once. Your friend shall remain in my custody until we have arrived. Now move."

Najenda looked back at Leone and only started walking when the lioness hung her head in shame, for not being able to protect them all and getting so easily defeated. She took them to a secret room only she had a key for and led Warsaw into the depths of what used to be the old Imperial Palace's underground chambers, a labyrinth of passageways that had managed to survive the siege of the capital and the Shikoutazer's awakening.

Every time she heard the metal clunking of Warsaw's footfalls she twitched, an image of one of the people she knew having their heads smashed apart associating itself with the noise. She was granted reprieve when she arrived at the heavy metal door guarding the Teigu vault, and she glanced back at Warsaw as if she was expecting him to move her out of the way.

He only stared at her and she looked back at the door to unlock it on her own, a pull on the lever built into the door's frame causing several metallic groans to come from within the construct. Eventually it clicked loudly and she grunted to pull open the huge vault door, Warsaw walking past her and going into the vault himself to search.

"Thank you very much, Najenda." said the cyborg over his shoulder when he approached a table holding several Teigu, one in particular catching his eye. "This is what we've been needing."

Najenda peeked into the vault and she became confused as Warsaw picked up the Teigu formerly owned by the late Prime Minister's son, Shambhala, and looked at it for a few moments. With the wave of his hand she was suddenly restrained and held just like Leone was, the cyborg glancing over at them and cackling as he shooed them away.

"Imprison them with the rest. I'll decide what to do with them later. For now...I must send this back to my Mistress immediately."


	8. Dark City

A/N I AM SO, SO SORRY for taking so long….college grabbed me by the nuts and J had little to no time to work on this. I'm sorry everyone!

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Dark City**

Tatsumi grinned as he stood at the kitchen window with a cup of coffee in his hand, watching his wife outside with Extase using the Teigu to try and master it. Ever since she had used it against the Inquisitors sent after Esdia, the day before yesterday, she had taken the giant pair of scissors outside and worked with them just like Tatsumi had been taking Incursio out for spins.

He could hardly contain himself at how similar Mine was to Sheele as he watched her in her pink cheongsam, the same dress that Sheele wore when she was alive, and it seemed their movements when wielding the Teigu were almost the exact same. It was almost as if Sheele herself was there guiding Mine through the motions, the techniques, so that she could better understand Extase like it was the back of her hand.

"She looks really pretty."

Tatsumi looked down at Esdia, who had suddenly appeared at his side with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and he chuckled.

"Mhmm...she certainly is. She's the most beautiful person I know, and I'm not saying that because she's my wife." he replied with a grin as he returned to watching her.

His grin vanished when he saw Mine stop as Wave and Kurome, both with grim expressions, walk up to her and look at the house, most likely waiting for him to appear and join her. Tatsumi went out the front door and jogged to them, slowing down to a stop at Mine's side.

"What's the problem, Wave, Kurome?"

They glanced at one another and Wave nod his head, looking back at them and asking, " Could we go inside? You're going to need to sit down for this…"

"Yeah...sure, I guess."

Tatsumi Lead then back to their house and once he and Mine were settled on their couch, Kurome and Wave took their own seats and sighed heavily.

"So...what's going on?" asked Mine, worried now about what had her friends so down.

"I'll be brief...the Imperial Capital's fallen to outside invaders from the eastern nation."

" _What?_ "

Both Tatsumi and Mine were shocked beyond belief, the very thought of the capital falling to invaders almost impossible. Mine blinked a few times, still struggling to comprehend the revelation, while Tatsumi ran his hand through his hair and chuckled a little.

"You're kidding right? R-Right….?"

"No….it's true. We were there when the first artillery shells struck the city." replied Kurome in a solemn tone.

"They attacked at dawn and caught the city totally off guard. And their soldiers were well armed and very well trained as well, they used swords, shields and rifles with great efficiency." added on Wave, which only served to deflate Mine and Tatsumi even more.

"It sounds like they were prepared for this…." said Mine in almost a whisper.

"Is there….anything else…?" asked Tatsumi in a low tone. "Were you able to identify the invading force's commander?"

Wave nod his head and leaned forward until he rested his elbows on his knees, sighing heavily. "Yes...I was. It's something we've never seen before….he wasn't even human. It was this….cyborg-like creature that looked like a skeleton. It was pitch black, with these purple markings, and it had four eyes."

"Black….skeleton…?"

Wave and Kurome turned to see the blanket wrapped Esdia standing at the foot of the stairs with wide eyes, the description of the enemy commander clearly familiar to her.

"Who is that?" asked Kurome as she looked at her.

"Her name's Esdia, and judging by your reaction…" Mine beckoned her over and gently rubbed her back when Esdia sat in her lap. "You know who this cyborg is...don't you."

Esdia started to tear up some as she slowly nod her head, her hands shaking slightly when those memories she had tried to lock away came back slowly. It took her a few moments to gather herself considering the memories alone were enough to render her speechless, her mouth only opening and closing. Finally after calming herself through breathing exercises she cleared her throat and dried her eyes

"Yes...I do….he….he was the one that killed my Grandfather…."

Her voice was almost a whisper, but it spoke volumes among the silence of the others present with her.

"He was following the orders of my country's Consul….sort of like your Prime Minister….her name's Maxwell….she led a coup and took control of Judecca from my family…"

Wave and Kurome were left dumbfounded after Esdia told them of the horrific events that transpired during the coup, the brutal beating of her grandfather and of her flight from the country with the help of her uncle. When she had finished she hid herself in Mine's arms and shuddered, pulling the blankets around her body closer.

"That's…." murmured Kurome, but she stopped there, unable to continue for a few moments. "That's…..that's just as bad as what Honest did…..if not worse…."

Tatsumi silently agreed with Kurome with a nod and crossed his arms over his chest while Wave leaned back and stroked his chin, his mind going at a hundred miles per hour to process the new information from Esdia.

"Judecca huh….I think i've heard that name before, but….It was a long time ago from some book I read. But, aside from that….there must be some reason as to why this Maxwell character decided to invade the Empire…"

"What should we do?" asked Mine, looking from one person to the other.

"Mm…"

Tatsumi thought for a moment, closing his eyes to go over the options presented before him. By now the Imperial Capital would be totally overrun with enemy soldiers, and there was a good chance that the black skeleton cyborg was still there. He came to a pair of conclusions, and the final decision rested on only one question needing to be answered.

"Wave….Kurome…..where are Najenda and Leone…?"

Kurome and Wave became silent and looked away from him, their reactions alone enough to tell him something bad had happened to the both of them.

"They've been captured….and as far as I know….they're both still alive…" murmured Wave. "We would've stayed and helped, but with Kurome without her sword and with an entire army around us….the situation was grim as is, and Najenda ordered us both to flee."

"We're sorry…"

Tatsumi rubbed his chin some more and growled to himself as she stood up and paced, trying to think of what to do. Coming to him and Mine was a great idea, but what were they to do against a whole army and a supposed cyborg? Tatsumi growled a little bit more before he sighed and looked at everyone.

"There's really only one thing we can do. We need to go to the capital and figure out where Najenda and Leone are being held, stage a rescue, and get out of there." he said with a stern expression.

"Is that really the only option…?" asked Mine.

"Unfortunately, yes...we cant leave Najenda and Leone with the enemy, and having them would give us some key insight onto just who we're dealing with."

The four of them with Esdia sat in silence as they mulled over Tatsumi's words, their eyes going from the floor, to the others in the room, to various objects around the room itself. Eventually Wave coughed to break the silence and stood up to join Tatsumi, crossing his arms.

"I agree...I feel like I owe it to Najenda…"

"Then it's settled...we need to go to the capital."

Mine stood up as well and clenched her fist, looking at them with a determined expression, as did Kurome.

"Alright then." Tatsumi turned to Esdia. "Esdia….I need you to stay here and look after Unryuu for us. I don't know what I'd do if she got hurt…"

Esdia nod her head and gave them her own determined expression. After gathering everything they needed, Tatsumi told Wave and Kurome to wait outside while he and Mine went to get the last few things they needed and say goodbye to their daughter. Esdia waited outside as they walked into Unryuu's bedroom and smiled softly as they looked at her sleeping softly in her bed.

Tatsumi got down on a knee next to her and he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, Unryuu smiling a little in her sleep.  
"We'll be back, Unryuu….we promise…"

He then stood up and let Mine have her time with their daughter, Mine taking a similar kneeling posture and giving Unryuu a gentle kiss on the forehead. At that moment Unryuu slowly opened her eyes, still half-asleep, and looked at the two of them.

"Mommy…...Daddy…..?"

"It's okay sweetie, you can go back to sleep...Mommy and Daddy have to go for a little bit….Esdia is going to watch over you while we're gone, okay?"

Unryuu blinked a few times before she nod her head and went back to sleep, snoring softly with her stuffed lion in her arms. Mine smiled and kissed her forehead again before she stood back up and left the room with Tatsumi. They went back downstairs and Mine grabbed Extase once again while Tatsumi grabbed Incursio's key and put it into its sheath.

"Let's go."

"Right."

The husband and wife walked outside after bidding farewell to Esdia, joining Wave and Kurome outside. They readied themselves mentally and with a nod the group departed from Tatsumi and Mine's country home, finding the cobblestone road that would take them on a direct route to the capital.

 **\- Later that Day -**

"There it is...the capital….or what's left of it…" muttered Wave when they arrived at a hill overlooking the Imperial Capital, Mine and Tatsumi gasping when they saw the craters dotting the once pristine cityscape.

"Oh my god….." uttered Mine in utter horror.

Tatsumi clenched his fists and growled. "Those bastards…."

"Easy, friend...we'll pay them back. I promise." said Wave reassuringly as he pat Tatsumi on the shoulder.

"Right….well, what to do now…?" asked Mine.

"Considering the enemy general saw both of us with his own...eyes….he would have probably put the city occupants on high alert for both of us…" said Kurome in a low tone as she took out a pair of binoculars to observe the city skyline.

"So...Mine and I should go in alone and survey the city ourselves, then come back?" said Tatsumi with a glance at her, Kurome nodding.

"It would be safer if you left Extase here with us Mine, Tatsumi can undoubtedly protect you with Incursio." said Wave, Tatsumi grinning.

"Damn right!"

"Then it's settled. Tatsumi, Mine, be careful…"

Kurome hugged the both of them and Mine smiled as she pat her head, Tatsumi grinning when he rubbed her back and gave her a hug in return. Once they were ready the couple walked down the hill toward one of the side entrances to the capital, managing to slip in without any troubles. Once inside, however….that's when they really saw the effects of the invasion.

The people they remember would smile and wave at them shuffled around with their heads hung low, looks of terror on their faces, and a general aura of fear.

"The people are so different…." whispered Tatsumi to Mine as they walked through the streets, happening to catch unknown soldiers wearing not before seen uniforms.

They figured these soldiers must be of the occupying force and continued to walk through the streets, eventually turning down another side street and spotting a pair of men dressed in all black armor and robes with red t-visors in their helmets. As they got closer Tatsumi and Mine stepped off to the side to make way for them to walk by.  
Tatsumi felt a chill go up his spine as the what seemed to be knights slowly walked by them, their heads turning toward them and a garbled, distorted speech coming from the men instead of actual words.

When they walked by them, Mine and Tatsumi continued their stroll. "What were those things…"

"I don't know...but I got a chill up my spine just looking at them…" muttered Tatsumi under his breath.

They walked for a little while before they turned down a road and saw all the way down the adjacent road all the way to the gates of the Imperial Palace, where guarding them were more of the black cloaked knights standing rigidly still.

"We can't get much work done during the day, I think we should wait out until it's night time." whispered Tatsumi to Mine as they turned away from looking at the palace

"Yeah, and I know where we can go."

Tatsumi grinned a little when he saw that look in Mine's eye as he followed her through the city down some familiar roads until finally they came to a quaint little bookshop the both of them had come to know when they were younger. Mine opened the door and they walked into the bookshop, the bookshelves dusty and crowded with some cobwebs from the years of disuse.

Tatsumi ran his hand along the front counter and smiled a little as he looked around the bookshop, remembering the times he had come here.  
"You remember where the switch it…?" asked Mine as she scanned the shelves, Tatsumi doing the same behind the counter before he grinned and found the correct book.

A simple pull opened up the bookcase next to the one he was at, revealing a hidden staircase that led down into the former Imperial capital hideout of Night Raid. They walked down into the common area of the hideout after closing the entrance off and looked around at the perfectly persevered furniture, not a single thing out of place since their last time here so many years ago.

"So many memories were made here….its kind of hard not to think of them here…" said Mine as she looked around the common room, Tatsumi chuckling as he plopped down in one of the couches.

"Yeah, of the times you got on my ass?"

"Oh shut up you~"

Mine giggled as she hugged him from behind, her tits squishing against the back of his head. Tatsumi chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her as Mine climbed over the back of the couch and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The two remained in the former Night Raid hideout, reminiscing about their own memories of their time with the assassination group until Tatsumi went back up to the storefront cover and saw that it was night out.  
"Alright...let's do this. You remain on the streets, while I will…." he said as he formed Incuriso's armor around him. "I'll go along the rooftops while I'm invisible."

"Be safe Tatsumi." said Mine when she cupped the cheeks of his helmet and smiled softly.

"...I will, I promise."

The two shared a few more moments together before they went back out onto the street and with a final wave Tatsumi lept to the top of the nearest building and turned invisible to begin his search. As he went around the city, one of the first things he found to be different from before the invasion to the current time, was that at night none of the lights were on and there were hardly any people out on the roads except for the soldiers.

He also ran across several other of those black robed knights, their strenge distorted gibberish never failing to send chills running up and down his spine.

" _Those guys….are they even human….?_ " he thought to himself after passing another pair.

He continued on through the night until he stood atop a building close by to the Imperial Palace, and that's when he spotted something out of the ordinary. He narrowed his eyes and could help but clench his fists out of anger at what he saw chained to one of the spires of the palace, or in this case, who was chained.

Bound beneath several layers of chain and guarded by soldiers and some more of those black knights were Leone and Najenda, both of them beaten, bloody and unconscious it seemed judging by how low their heads hung. He stared at them for another few moments out of fury before he suddenly froze when he felt someone behind him, a chill unlike the ones he had before coming to haunt him that very moment.

"Whoever you are, I suggest you show yourself now."

Tatsumi slowly turned around without becoming visible and he felt his chest tighten when just a few feet away from him he came face-to-face with the cyborg monstrosity that was Warsaw, Esdia's description of him practically dead-on. The four eyes with their glowing green slit pupils, the black as night armor of his limbs, and the almost fluorescent purple markings on one half of his cybernetic body truly gave him the appearance of some voodoo skeleton or creature of the night.

"Judging by my senses telling me there's something here...and I cannot see it...means that I'm losing my mind, or that I am among the user of the Teigu known as Incursio… _coughs_...and I highly doubt the first one is true." spoke Warsaw in his usual gravely voice, Tatsumi staring hard at him.

Warsaw waited a few moments to see if anything would before he merely shrugged and walked forward to the edge of the building, standing a foot away from Tatsumi and towering over him.

"I presume you must be wondering what's happened here….allow me to tell you. My soldiers and I come from the nation across the sea...the Holy Empire of Judecca, and we were ordered to invade your country by my Mistress, the Holy Empress"

Once again, Tatsumi remained silent and only stared at Warsaw.

"I can also presume that those two chain up there under guard by my men must be acquaintances of yours….friends, family? Loved ones? It does not matter, for the end result will be the same if you attempt to rescue them."

Warsaw then turned his head and stared directly at Tatsumi with souch savagery and cruelty in his eyes Tatsumi had flashbacks of the late Prime Minister Honest. Yet he stood his ground and remained vigilant under the fact that even though this thing knew where he was, he could still get away.

"If you try, they will die, and I will hunt down everyone that you hold near and dear to your heart. I will show you the true meaning of despair. This city...it is no longer yours. Accept that fact, and there will be no bloodshed."

With that the cyborg general then walked away, his heavy metal footfalls ringing in Tatsumi's ears before he disappeared off the rooftop with his cape flapping behind him. It was then he let go of the breath he had been holding in and deactivated Incursio's Trump Card, breathing somewhat heavily.

"That...thing…." he muttered under his breath as he slowly calmed himself down. "I haven't felt...such a dark and ominous aura….since...Esdeath…"

He took another few moments to catch his breath before he looked back at the palace and the comatose Najenda and Leone trapped behind their chains. He clenched his fist again and turned away to go and find Mine as soon as possible so they could report back to Wave and Kurome to figure out just how the hell they were going to rescue their friends.


	9. From Enemy toLover?

A/N Okay everyone, since im on break its back to a somewhat regular upload schedule? Sorry once again for vanishing on all of you guys!

Before I end this author's note however, in this chapter something will come up (you'll know it when you read it) that is….questionable in nature. If you all find it unreasonable or uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to tell me to not put that into the story, and I'll listen. Other then that, leave a favorite and a review!

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - From Enemy to….lover?**

Mine walked silently through the empty streets of the occupied capital, cautiously looking around for anything out of the normal. Hardly anyone was out at that time of night, which made it both good and bad for her, good in that she wouldn't have her sight obstructed, and bad that anyone watching her from the shadows would be able to see her clearly as well.

She got a slight shiver up her spine from the very thought of someone watching her from anywhere at any time, but she quickly shook it off to continue her search. She turned down another road and coming toward her were the same armored knights. She immediately moved out of the way, but instead of walking by her without any trouble they went out of their way to personally approach her.

"U-Um...yes…?" she asked nervously.

"jhsnd **W** na **h** mandt **o** **a** hdnw **r** menrne **e** jandn **y** mwneh **o** mahdge **u**?" asked one of the black knights, Mine blinking a few times at their garbled speech.

"W-What…? I can't understand...you."

The two nameless knights stared at Mine for a little while longer before they suddenly stepped back, Mine's eyes widening when heavy clanking footsteps approached her from beyond her peripheral vision.

"And who do we have here...wondering in the dark, alone?" asked Warsaw as he approached her in his typical hunched over posture, breaking out into a fit of coughing once he reached her.

"U-U-Um…."

Mine stuttered as she looked at the cyborg general, seeing for herself that Esdia had actually described him perfectly, and now that she was seeing him in person she was actually shaking. Warsaw stared at her several times with his four eyes before he raised a hand and waved it a little.

"Please, don't worry, there's no reason to be scared...if there's nothing to hide." said Warsaw with a dead serious tone.

"Hey, it's alright sir!"

Warsaw turned and Tatsumi jogged over to them, joining his wife's side and putting an arm around her. "There you are...I thought I lost you."

He smiled a little at Mine, silently telling her to go along with him. Mine smiled back and hugged Tatsumi tightly, Warsaw merely staring at the two of them as they did.

"I presume you two know one another?" he asked.

"Yes, this is my wife. We got a little seperated and I've been searching for her." replied Tatsumi, Mine nodding her head.

"I see…"

Warsaw stared more closely at the two of them for another few moments before he took a few steps back, the two black knights also stepping back and joining his side.

"Well, I see no reason for me and my Archangels to remain here any longer. Sorry for keeping you two, and I apologize for these two." said Warsaw with an eerily calm voice as he and the so-called "Archangels" took a step back, Mine and Tatsumi beginning to walk away.

"Thank you very much…" said Tatsumi before turning and putting an arm around Mine's shoulders.

"Tatsumi, I-"

"Just keep walking." he told her under his breath, the two of them continuing to walk until they were far away from the cyborg general and completely out of sight.

Only until then did he let out the breath he had been holding in and hunched over slightly as another huge chill ran up and down his spine, Mine getting a similar chill up hers as well. A few minutes of dead silence later Mine finally sat down on a window ledge and looked at Tatsumi, who had recovered and was standing up with his arms crossed.

"Tatsumi…that aura…"

"I know...believe me, I know…" he replied with a slightly sour expression. "It's just like before...from her…"

"Esdeath…. _shivers_...I never thought...I'd feel something along the lines of that sadist's aura ever again…." said Mine in a low tone as she rubbed her arms and shuddered again.

The two of them remained there in that back alley for another few minutes, recovering from just being in the presence of the cyborg general and his toxic aura. The only way it could be described was that it felt like burning hot chains were wrapped around their throats, cutting off any access to their lungs for air to flow through and let them breath. The only other time they had ever felt that way was in the past...when they had both encountered the fearsome Ice Queen of the Empire of old.

"It's like...he's a second Esdeath, only…..Esdeath's aura was cold and filled with unrivaled bloodlust, at least she still had feelings...that thing…..it is merely pure evil with nothing in the form of emotion…" muttered Mine with a slight scowl.

"That's not all…" said Tatsumi as he lifted his head and looked to the sky in the direction of the palace.

"What do you mean, Tatsumi?"

"I saw where he's keeping Najenda and Leone...they're chained together on top one of the towers of the palace...guarded by those Archangels. What's bad about it, is…" He clenched his fists and growled. "He knows we'll be trying to rescue them…"

"What, how?!" stammered Mine in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

Tatsumi turned toward his wife with a blank expression, his fists still clenched. "His ability to sense others is remarkable...he was able to tell I was there even when I had Incursio's Trump Card active...he knew, and he told me to not even try and rescue them."

Mine was left speechless by this revelation and she growled to herself as well in frustration. With such a smart and powerful enemy, what were they to do? This was an enemy that none of them had ever faced before, one that they had not seen since Esdeath, and enemy that could very well be even more powerful then her.

"...We need to tell Wave and Kurome…" murmured Mine.

Tatsumi nod his head and they left the city as fast as they could without causing a disturbance, eventually arriving at the small campsite their companions had made in their absence.

"Oh, there you two are. See, I told you they'd come back." Wave grinned as he looked at Kurome, who puffed her cheeks out.

"I didn't say they wouldn't come back…"

Tatsumi and Mine only stared silently at them with looks of worry and the light-hearted tone Wave and Kurome had quickly faded away. Tatsumi sat down first and Mine second right next to him, the two of them looking at the flickering fire before them for a few moments before the former sighed.

"We have a problem….rescuing Najenda and Leon is next to impossible." he said.

"What? How is that?" asked Wave with a serious tone. "Did...you meet the cyborg?"

"More like he met me….I was able to spot Leone and Najenda, they're trapped in the palace in plain sight, and that cyborg, he was able to sense I was there even though I had Incursio's invisibility active and wasn't moving at all." explained Tatsumi as he put his hands in his laps and looked down at the fire. "He told me to not even try to rescue them…"

"Good lord…."

"Really….this is the enemy that invaded the capital…?" asked Kurome with a sense of disbelief on her face.

"There are soldiers everywhere, and there are also these strange men...Archangels he called them…" murmured Mine. "They speak in gibberish, their words a mess of letters and pitches that make no sense, but I could tell….each and every one of them is strong, stronger then some Teigu users we've met."

The four of them sat in silence for another few minutes, thinking of how they could even begin to plan out their rescue of Najenda and Leon from the clutches of this new enemy. Tatsumi thought long and hard of everything that they could even do to try and get close to the capital, but with so many skilled opponents and that cyborg general, there was no chance they could all make it out alive.

" _ **Why not use me….boy?**_ "

Tatsumi gasped loudly and practically jumped up from his seat, Mine, Wave and Kurome all jumping as well from his sudden cry.

"Tatsumi, what's wrong?!" asked Mine, Tatsumi's eyes widen and broadcasting fear like never before.

"I-It spoke…..I-It spoke to me…."

"Who?" asked Wave.

"...The…..Tyrant…"

Mine, Kurome and Wave all froze up in shock when he mentioned the very name of the Dragon Incursio and Grand Chariot were forged from. Never before had the dragon actually made contact with him or Tatsumi, and they hadn't felt or heard anything from it since it had first began to take over Tatsumi's body.

"A-And…..and…." stuttered Tatsumi.

" _ **What's the matter boy? Wasn't expecting I'd sound like this? Or...that I could do this?**_ "

Tatsumi then suddenly awoke within a mental plane inside of his own mind, the sky filled with twinkling stars and the land around him like that of an endless ocean. Tatsumi found he was sitting in the sand of a small deserted island surrounding by the black waveless ocean, and after looking around in front of him he felt a chill come from behind.

He slowly turned around and found that half the world behind him was pitch black, and that staring from that darkness straight at him were two pairs of blood red eyes filled with hate. The cross-slit pupils were enough to tell him who they belonged to. The vile presence, the insatiable hunger, and the unrivaled rage that could so easily describe the begin before him washed over and through him like a roaring tsunami threatening to destroy everything around him.

"Tyrant…" murmured Tatsumi as he stood up and faced the dragon, the shadows keeping its appearance hidden from him.

" **Hello there, Boy. Long time….no see.** " said Tyrant with a deep, guttural voice that reverberated throughout the entire mindscape.

"What are you doing here? Why are you just now speaking with me after everything we've been through." asked Tatsumi with a scowl, his fists clenched. "You tried to kill me by taking over my body...turning me into your new host…"

" **Easy Boy, I'm not here to make conflict. So you can cut it out with that bravado...I'm, here to make you an offer.** " said Tyrant, its four eyes unblinking.

"An offer? You mean what you said earlier...about using you?"

Tyrant made a nasal snort and its four eyes moved up and down, meaning it was nodding its head up and down.

" **Yes, exactly. Over these years since I lost my grasp over you, I've watched you grow stronger. As it is now….with your level of control over my flesh, the accursed armor you call Incursio...there's no way I can take over your body.** "

Tatsumi's eyes widened slightly as he listened to the Dragon apparently admitting defeat to him, admitting that there's no way he could repeat the events of the past.

"What…?"

" **Don't make me repeat myself, boy!** " the dragon roared at him. " **You heard me...** "

"So….are you saying I can use you at full strength now?" asked Tatsumi, Tyrant groaning slightly.

" **What I'm saying Boy, is that I propose a partnership between you and I. Yes, it is true, you have gained mastery over using my flesh, even more so then many of my previous owners. But there is one who you have yet top...my very first wielder.** "

"What could he do that I could not?"

" **He could summon me out of the armor entirely, and ride my into battle against his enemies.** "

Tatsumi nearly fell backward from the shock of hearing such a thing, let alone from the dragon itself. The very thought of Tyrant physically coming out of the armor made from its flesh was mind-blowing, and the thought of someone actually being on such good terms with the fearsome dragon was even more so.

"Is...that what you're suggesting?" he asked out of wariness, his doubts on the dragon's word still prevalent.

" **Yes, Boy. Let's forget our past differences. It's high time we finally work as one, as it should have been from the very beginning. My own arrogance and wanting to be free turned me into who I once was.** "

Tatsumi stared at Tyrant for a few more moments before he held a hand out toward the dragon, implying he was wanting a handshake.

"I'm sure you know what a handshake is, and I'm not asking for a claw or anything, but I do want your word that you won't try to interfere in any way." he asked, Tyrants four eyes all blinking when the dragon laughed.

" **I do know what a handshake is…** "

The four eyes then closed and for a few moments it was silent, when all of a sudden a hand emerged from the darkness, followed by a pair of normal human eyes with the same characteristic red color and pupils. One look at the hand put Tatsumi off guard since he wasn't expecting it at all, and that instead of being male like he thought Tyrant's gender was...the hand was feminine.

Slowly his eyes widened in shock when from the dark shadows emerged not a man, like he expected, but a _woman_ so gorgeous any man would fall head over heels. Her hair was firery red with hints of charcoal black in it, her skin a slight tanned color, her tits big, round and full, a voluptuous figure with wide hips, and an ass like no other. Growing out from her lower back just above her ass was a tail covered in marooning red scales, and parts of her body, mainly the backs of her hands, her knees and sides of her thighs, her shoulders, and her cheeks were covered by these same scales. And to top it all off, she was completely and utterly naked.

"W-Wha….What…..

"No, this is not a dream, Boy. I am Tyrant….this is my Human form, one I chose for myself long ago. I am female."

Tatsumi stumbled back a little and blinked, Tyrant grinning at him as she put a hand on her hip and watched in amusement.

"You're….a f-female?!"

"Yes, I am. What, do all legendary Danger Beasts have to be male?" asked Tyrant with the roll of her eyes. "Anyways, Boy, there's a certain way to fully establish the bond...which is…"

She pulled Tatsumi forward and whispered something into his ear, which made him gasp again, before she pushed him away and put both of her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

"That's after we rescue your other human friends, you got that, Boy?"

"Sure….Tyrant…." said Tatsumi with a gulp. "So, all I have to do is summon you? Is there something I say, or….?"

"You'll know it when the opportunity presents itself. Now go on, get out of here."

Tatsumi gasped when he awoke from the trance like state he had been in, his friends and wife gathered around him with worried expressions on their faces.

"Tatsumi!" cried Mine as she hugged him tightly, Tatsumi gently rubbing her back.

"I was so worried, we thought that dragon was starting to meddle around with you again!"

"It's okay, don't worry….but, guys, I think I've figured out our trump card that will let us save Najenda and Leone."

 **\- Later that night -**

"How in the hell is this possible…." muttered Wave as he stood with Kurome, Mine and Tatsumi on top of a building that from there the palace was visible.

Wave and Tatsumi both had their armors active, while Kurome stood close by to Mine, who held Extase tightly in her hand.

"Are you sure you want to come with us Kurome? You don't have a Teigu...Yatsufusa was broken, remember?"

"Yes, I want to. I'll be alright, even without my sword I can take care of myself." she replied with a determined look on her face, Tatsumi nodding once.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on her, Tatsumi. She is precious to me, after all." said Wave with a thumbs up, Tatsumi chuckling.

"Well, I think it's time now." said Tatsumi as he looked to the outskirts of the city and let out a deep breath to steady himself.

" _ **Ready, Boy?**_ "

" _Tell me, Tyrant._ "

The dragon repeated a series of words to Tatsumi and after reciting them a few times in his head, he took a wide stance and held his hand up into the air.

"With teeth like swords, claws like spears, and skin like tenfold shields. With wings like a hurricane and fire like death itself, I summon thee! Awaken, King of Beasts, Tyrant!"

He slammed his palm to the floor and out in the distance a bright flash of red emerged before from nothing appeared the terrifying visage of Tyrant, the massive dragon bearing several horns on its head, wings that could block out sky, and eyes that glowed in the dark unmistakable.

"So that's the infamous Tyrant….he's just like the legends say…" murmured Wave when the dragon spewed fire into the sky.

"Actually, Wave, Tyrant…...he, is a she…." said Tatsumi with a sheepish grin.

"Tyrant is a female?!" stammered Mine in disbelief.

Tatsumi nod his head but before he could explain and shushed then all when soldiers began to scurry toward the wall, shouting warnings and obscene words at the same time at the sight of Tyrant.

"There's our chance, let's go." said Tatsumi as he leaped forward to the next building, the others following close behind him.

They got close to the palace and dropped down into the shadows of an alleyway as several soldiers ran past their hiding spot, a couple of Archangels going by as well.

They waited for the coast to be clear before they quickly sprinted across the empty street toward the palace grounds, using the shrubbery of gardens to hide them from the sight of any guards. Finally after creeping around through the bushes and the trees they reached the front doors, Tatsumi turning invisible and slowly opening one of them.

Like he suspected two soldiers were posted on the inside and when they saw the door opening they brandished their rifles for a fraction of a second before Tatsumi knocked them out with the butt of Neuntote.

"Effective." said Mine as they walked in behind him, Kurome closing the door.

"Come on, let's get a move on." said Wave as he formed his spear, practically a carbon copy of Neuntote.

" _Tyrant? How are you holding up?_ "

" _ **Ha Ha! These puny fools can't even possibly harm me!**_ "

Tatsumi chuckled as he crept alongside his friend through the palace, eventually climbing up through the tower where their friends were held and like before, Tatsumi turner invisible to catch the guards unaware.

He silently approached the two Archangels standing on either side of the unconscious Leone and Najenda, and with a swift kick to the back he sent both of them tumbling off the edge down toward the ground.

Wave and Kurome then came out with Mine and got to work freeing Leone and Najenda from their chains, Leone's eyes slowly fluttering open as she regained consciousness.

"Nngh….w-what….what's going on…?" she asked groggily.

"It's is Leone, we're back, and we brought some friends." said Wave with a grin as Tatsumi and Mine waved a little.

"Hey there Leone, how's it going?" asked Tatsumi with a lighthearted chuckle, Leone's eyes widened before she was finally freed and she too laughed.

"You ass…"

"What happened to Najenda? She's looked better…" asked Mine as she freed her with Kurome's help, Wave gently putting her over his shoulder.

"That bastard, Warsaw….he starved us up here, interrogated her constantly…." she said with a ragged voice, the others finally noticing that she did look thinner then before.

"Warsaw…? Wait….is that the name of the cybor bastard?" asked Wave, Leone weakly nodding her head.

"He nearly killed me…."

"Stop talking Leone, you're tired enough as is. Save your energy…" said Mine as she hoisted one of her arms over her shoulder and helped support her weight.

Leone remained silent and nod her head again as she focused solely on breathing and keeping herself from passing out again. With a nod from Mine and Wave Tatsumi gripped his spear and led them back down into the palace, their route to leave having to pass through the throne room in order to leave the way they came.

"We're almost there...just have to pass through here…" said Kurome in a low tone as they crossed the threshold of the throne room.

They very nearly made it to the door before the frightening aura they all have come to fear made itself known, seemingly coming from every corner of the room.

"Did you all really think that Dragon would prove enough of a distraction to draw me away from the palace?"

Slowly, out from behind the throne, emerged Warsaw with his hands held behind his back and his four eyes staring at them coldly. Mine and Kurome tensed up while Tatsumi gripped his spear harder and growled a little, his anger overwriting his terror and keeping him from breaking down.

"It wasn't enough for you? What about the lives of your men?" questioned Mine, Warsaw fixing two of his eyes on her.

"They're all expendable. Joining the fight to subdue that creature wouldn't guarantee their safety and some would still die, so why join at all? If they're going to die, then they'll die." replied Warsaw in a cold voice before he went into another coughing fit.

"You bastard….you really are heartless…." snarled Tatsumi, his grip on his spear tightening.

"Not heartless, merely logical. Soldiers exist to sacrifice themselves for their commanding officers."

Several Archangels then appeared from various corners of the room, brandishing twin short swords and staying silent as they watched the four of them for any sudden movements. Kurome tried to read them for any exploitable weaknesses but there were none, which made her actually even more scared of them aside from their ominous appearance and their name referencing the high-ranking mythical beings loyal to God.

"There's no way for you all to escape. I highly doubt that dragon will remain here for long." stated Warsaw blankly.

"That's where your wrong, Warsaw." snarled Tatsumi before all of a sudden the ceiling began to crack and fracture.

Instantly giant claws dug into the room and the ceiling was ripped off entirely, massive gusts of wind being blowing in when Tyrant appeared above them, glaring at Warsaw with all four of its eyes.

" **Taste my fire, you pest!** " she blew a massive stream of fire right at Warsaw, the general being absorbed by the flames along with the rest of the throne room while Tatsumi, Mine, Kurome and Wave had leapt up to avoid the fire.

Tyrant caught them and she carried them up into the sky, eventually moving them to her back before she began to fly away from the capital at top speed.

" **You runts all okay?** " asked the dragon as she looked back at them, Mine gently setting down Leone on her back next to Najenda.

"It seems so...thanks for the timely save Tyrant, I appreciate it. With Leone and Najenda how they are….I don't think we could have won that battle…" said Tatsumi as Incursio dispersed, Wave doing the same with Grand Chariot.

They rode in silence of Tyrant's back as she carried them away from the capital through the night sky all the way back to Tatsumi and Mine's home in the country after taking various detours to ensure they weren't followed. Upon arriving there Tyrant landed on the ground and let her passengers off, Wave carrying Najenda into the living room while Kurome helped Leone into a spare bedroom.

"Mine, go ahead and wake Esdia, tell her what's happening so she isn't spooked, alright?" asked Tatsumi with a small smile, Mine nodding as she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Alright Tatsumi, I'll be waiting for you." she replied.

Mine then walked away from him and Tyrant toward their home, Tatsumi watching her go until she was safely inside. With a sigh he then looked up at the dragon as she sat behind him and nod his head, Tyrant flashing a toothy grin before her body emitted a red glow as it shrunk down in size until the very same nude form she had shown him in his mind was standing there.

"Well, Boy, do you know a place where...nothing can disturb us…?"

"Yes, follow me." replied Tatsumi before turning and walking away from his home.

He took Tyrant through the plans and some trees until he arrived at the small grassy encampment where he would do his regular training. Tyrant grinned as she looked around at the various slash marks made into some nearby trees and the other marks Tatsumi left, remembering every moment of it from her memories while she had watched him.

"Indeed, you were training hard, Little Boy...indeed…"

"Well, we're alone...like you said we had to be...what now?" asked Tatsumi as he crossed his arms, Tyrant turning to look at him without her typical snobbish grin.

"Well, Boy...how the ritual works is this….we have to bind ourselves physically to one another for you to be able to summon me whenever you'd like. But...there's more to it then just that…"

"What do you mean?"

"My first wielder and I...our relationship extended beyond that of user and beast, beyond partners...we were….lovers…." revealed Tyrant with the slightest of blushes.

"Ehhhh?!"

Tatsumi nearly fell on his ass and stared at Tyrant in utter shock. "L-Lovers?!"

"Don't shout it so loud you fucktard!" she snarled at him with fire blazing in her eyes, her teeth bared, but she quickly simmered down and crossed her arms over her large tits. "...But...yes...it's true….the big scary Tyrant, the King of Beasts, was smitten by a mere Human…"

Tatsumi eventually did end up falling down, thankfully on a tree stump he had made into a seat very early on when he discovered the place, and stared with wide eyes at Tyrant. He blinked several times again before he got a sneaky suspicion in the pit of his stomach that he knew where this was going to end up.

"Okay….so...you were lovers….?"

"Yes….and the bond we shared, why he was able to summon me….was because we shared an...intimate connection…" she said in a low tone before she lowered her head in a shy manner.

"Good lord...wait a minute, does that mean…"

"Yes….Tatsumi….." she looked up at him. "...In order for the ritual to happen….it involves….the two of us...making love…"

Tatsumi's heart practically leaped out of his chest, ran thirty laps around his body and then slammed back into him with the force of a bullet when he heard those words from Tyrant. He couldn't his eyes nor his ears, this Dragon who he had grown to hate and despise for trying to take over his body had not only apologized for their actions, revealed that all this time he was a she, that _she_ was willing to work together with him, and that now...she was basically saying that in order for them to "bond"...they had to have sex.

"This….this is…" he murmured before Tyrant blushed a little more.

"Boy….I mean….Tatsumi….this...isn't some whim...this is something I want to do…" she murmured as she went to him and pulled him slowly to his feet.

"You….want to...huh?"

Tyrant looked off to the side in a shy manner, completely contradicting her usual personality. "Y-Yes….believe it or not...watching you after all these years, well….you reminded me so much of my first flame that…" she trailed off.

"...That...you fell for me…?"

Tyrant blinked once while she kept her gaze off of him and she slowly nod her head, Tatsumi gulping when he finally started to feel the warmth of her hand on his. He slowly looked down at it and unconsciously brought his other hand up to hold it, feeling the softness of her skin.

Tyrant finally pulled her head back around to look Tatsumi in the eyes and blushed a little more, the burning sensation in the center of her chest only growing to the point tiny flickers of flame escaped from her teeth, which made her blush even more.

"Tyrant…? Uh…"

"I-It was...nothing...I...when I get….flustered...that...s-shut up!" she snarled at him when he started to chuckle, her hands instantly grasping onto the cuff of his shirt tightly.

"S-Stop laughing!"

"Sorry, it's just...all of my assumptions of you are crumbling apart, and, well...what I'm seeing before me...it's funny." he replied with a smile, Tyrant's eyes glowing.

"You think my emotions are funny?! I could kill you right now!" she snarled again, even though she didn't mean it.

"No, of course not...quite frankly, I think they're nice. And relieving too….I was so worried that someday you'd try to take over my body again…"

Tyrant blinked a few times as she held onto his shirt and clenched her jaw for a moment.

"You….dumbass Human…"

She then moved her hands to his cheeks and kissed square on the lips, Tatsumi's eyes shooting wide open from the suddenness of her action. She held onto his hands and continued to kiss him, her cheeks getting as red as can be while Tatsumi just stood there motionless. After a few moments Tatsumi's shock finally faded and he gave up his resistance, letting go of Tyrant's hands to hold her by her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him more passionately.

" _D-Damn my heart…._ " she thought as she kiss him more, pressing her naked body against his.

Eventually the heat between them grew to the point Tyrant began to claw through his clothes, removing them from his body as if she were tearing through some unfortunate creature who dared to cross her. Tatsumi ended up pinned to the grass fully nude, Tyrant continuing to assault him with deep kisses while she grinded her pussy against his dick to make it hard.

Finally she broke from the kissing with heavy breaths and moans all at once, Tatsumi grunting slightly and breathing equally hard.

"H-Holy shit, Tyrant….you…"

"S-Shut up...I already know…..I'm deprived…." she responded with a guttural growl, yet her expression of equal lust and shyness contradicted her tone.

"I was going to say...you look….r-really….sexy….." he said in a shaky voice, Tyrant's eyes widening while she blushed even more.

She remained silent for a few moments before she slowly turned herself around until she was straddling his head, her tail spread out to the side and her ass and pussy hovering right over Tatsumi's face.

"...Eat me…." said Tyrant before she began to stroke his dick with her hands, Tatsumi gritting his teeth from the warmth of her touch.

"N-Nnngh...whatever...you say…"

He wrapped his arms around her thighs and she lowered her ass down onto his face, his tongue immediately beginning to run along the length of her pussy and making her quiver.

Tyrant moaned through her teeth as more tiny flickers of flame escaped from her lips as she stroked his dick more, feeling it harden more and more until finally it was ready, to which she instantly helped herself to it. She wrapped her lips around his head and went all the way down onto his cock, bobbing her head up and down and moaning softly each time she felt him go down her throat.

Tatsumi kept himself in line for the most part as he licked her hot pussy more and more, eventually digging in with his tongue to make her even more wet. Like a snake slithering through brush he moved his tongue up into her past her folds, tasting her insides and making her shake with pleasure.

" _A-Aaaahhhh….y-you...Human runt…..s-shit…._ " thought Tyrant as she felt her hips shiver without her controlling them, Tatsumi's tongue working like magic on her.

" _It feels...that good…?_ " he asked her as she sucked his dick.

" _N-No shit…I-I haven't felt this good in a long time…..I-I have an entire nation's populace worth of sexual tension built up inside of me…..so you better be fucking prepared you Horndog!_ "

Tyrant sucked his dick faster, Tatsumi groaned as she ate her out and groped her thick ass all at the same time, his dick throbbing slightly as the pressure began to build up more and more from the stimulation.

" _C-Come on you runt….c-cum…._ " she urged to him, Tatsumi grunting again before finally he couldnt hold back and sprayed his semen down her throat.

Tyrant moaned when the hot sticky liquid filled her mouth and oozed down her throat, her body quivering from the feeling after having been denied it for so long, and she stayed rooted to the spot until he was finished. Once that was accomplished, she slowly removed herself from his dick and breathed heavily to calm herself down.

"H-Holy shit…." she muttered before she felt Tatsumi remove himself from her pussy, also breathing heavily.

"Tyrant…..I'm going to ask you something….answer me truthfully…."

"What is it….?"

They sat there in silence for a few seconds, sharing a brief mental exchange with one another before Tatsumi and Tyrant both got up into the sitting position, Tyrant turning to face him with a blush on her face. He held his hands on her hips as he laid down on his back and watched her as she straddled his waist, his dick standing tall and proud directly under her pussy.

"T-Tatsumi...I…I'm yours..." she murmured silently before she tossed aside her doubt and finally sat herself down on his cock, her steaming hot pussy enveloping all of it.

She moaned loudly as it went all the way up to the entrance to her womb, her body quivering from the feeling, one that had been lost to her. Without a moment's notice she leaned forward and began to kiss him again as she rode his dick, Tatsumi's hands firmly grasping onto her ass.

Slowly but surely as they made love, their past history began to fade away into obscurity, a new history being born right then and there. Through intimacy and sex, former enemies forged for themselves a new bond that wound tie them together for many years to come,

" _H-Holy...fuck….Tatsumi…._ " moaned Tyrant inside of Tatsumi's thoughts as she rode him, her pussy oozing all sorts of pleasure juices.

" _Tyrant….you feel….incredible….._ "

" _P-Please…...make me yours…._ "

Tatsumi held onto her ass firmly when he began to thrust up into her at a progressively pasted rate, the pressure beginning to build up again as he made love to the draconian Danger Beast turned beautiful woman.

Faster and faster and thrusted into her, his motions causing her big tits to rock back and forth across his chest from how deep he was going into her. Eventually it got to much to bear and Tyrant leaned back to the upright position, Tatsumi holding on to her thighs with both hands as he continued to fuck her and make her moan loudly.

"Hyaaaaa…..f-fuck…..aaahhhh~. Harder…..harder…..!" she demanded, Tatsumi obliging.

"T-Tyrant…..it's coming…..I can't...hold back….!"

He gave her several powerful thrusts before he pulled her down hard onto his cock and finally sprayed his load into her womb. Tyrant cried out when the hot liquid flushed into her womb, covering its walls in thick white gunk and making her eyes roll upward into her head.

After cumming inside of her they both had to stop and rest, their naked bodies covered in sweat. A A few moments, around Tyrant's neck appeared a black stripe appeared around her neck like a tattoo, her eyes coming down to gaze on Tatsumi.

"The binding….is complete…." she ubreathed out, Tatsumi grinning.

"I'm glad…"

"But….we're not done yet….~"

Tyrant grinned when she began to move her hips again, her hands resting on his abs.

"The fun's only just begun…."

They ended up going for thirty minutes straight, Tyrant using their newly forged bond to continuously feed him her energy to keep him going and for...another purpose. Finally, after she had her full….she sat back on her hands and breathed heavily with reddened cheeks and almost a drunk expression on her face.

"N-Now this…..feels wonderful…..so...full….~"

"No kidding…." said Tatsumi in utter awe.

Tyrant grinned a little when she brought up one hand to rub her belly, which had bloated out to the point she looked pregnant.

"Hold my hips, Tatsumi….I'm going one more time…." she said softly, Tatsumi doing just that, before she started to rock her hips up and down again slowly.

Tyrant moaned softly as his dick rubbed her insides in all the right ways, her hands resting on her tummy to keep it still as she slow rode him. The sweat from their bodies mixed together as they made slow love, Tatsumi grunting slightly each time she moved down on him, the only sounds heard being the primal noises of two members of the opposite sex giving in to their desires.

Soon enough Tatsumi finally came inside of Tyrant again and finally satisfied her, the Danger Beast rolling her tongue out and breathing heavily once again as she rested on top of Tatsumi. She rubbed her belly softly and smiled a little, Tatsumi shaking his head at her when he put a hand on it and felt nothing but warmth.

"Is that even healthy….?"

"Maybe, maybe not...but don't worry, this won't happen again anytime soon...now that I've been satisfied…~" she replied.

"Well….in any case, do you want to wait here for a little while…? For our heart rates to slow down? Mine already knows I'm hour here doing something with you...if she found out about this, she'd kill me..." he asked as Tyrant slowly removed herself from his dick and fell onto her back in the grass beside him, her belly making a slight sloshing noise from all of the cum in her womb.

"Yes….I'd….love that….and don't worry….I can handle all of the talking….Runt…~"

Tatsumi chuckled before he felt one of Tyrant's hands shyly sneak its way into his and he looked at her, the Danger Beast smiling softly at him.

"I'm sorry for who I once was...I promise I'll make it up to you…"

"Thank you Tyrant...thank you…"


	10. A Souless Nation

A/N Hey guys, welcome back to the story. Hope you all liked the direction I went with last chapter, I had it planned for a while now to make Tyrant female, so it's not just on a whim. Also this chapter will also have some more questionable stuff in it, so….yeah….be ready. Drop a fav and a review please.

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - A Soulless Nation**

 **\- Tatsumi and Mine's Bedroom -**

Tatsumi sat with his hands in his lap and a slightly worried expression on his face across from Mine on their bed, his wife staring at him with a frown and her arms crossed across her chest. Next to him was Tyrant with a small smile on her face, the Danger Beast back to normal now without the belly, and she looked at Mine after telling her what had occurred while they were gone.

"So let me get this straight…" murmured Mine as she rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers.

"Tyrant, the dragon that almost killed you when it was trying to take over your body...is not only a _female_ and not a male, but is actually in love with you too and is now your partner?" she asked while staring at the both of them.

Tatsumi and Tyrant looked at one another then back to Mine, the former running a hand through his hair and chuckling nervously for fear of his wife's reaction.

"Y-Yes…?" he said, Mine's left eyebrow twitching.

"Mine...believe me, I've changed...and I promise to not get in the way of the bond you two have...my partnership with him takes top priority over anything else. I promise." added Tyrant to soothe tensions before they could arise.

Mine's eyebrow twitched again and she closed her eyes as she sat on Tyrant's words for a few moments before she sighed and uncrossed her arms, staring at Tyrant with a softer gaze then the one she gave her earlier upon first seeing her.

"Well...if you're going to stay like that...you'll need some clothes…" she said, Tyrant smiling more.

"Do you...happen to have anything…? Actually, nevermind...I should be able to scrounge something up. May I?"

"Help yourself. Tatsumi, let's go check on Unryuu."

"Of course." said Tatsumi as he got up off the bed with Mine and walked out of the room to give Tyrant some privacy.

They made the short walk to Unryuu's bedroom and opened the door, Mine smiling when their daughter was playing with her toys, not a care in the world. Tatsumi knocked on the open door and she turned around, smiling at them as she waved.

"Hello baby girl…" said Tatsumi as he walked up to his daughter and kneeled to embrace her, Unryuu giggling softly.

While they spent some time playing with their daughter, downstairs Esdia was with Wave and Kurome taking care and watching over Leone and Najenda. The later was still unconscious and laying down on the couch with her front side facing he cushions, while Leone had already recovered well enough thanks to Lionelle's regenerative properties.

"Thanks for coming for ius guys...it was getting pretty grim…" said Leone as she drank a glass of water.

"Of course, we weren't going to just leave you two there." replied Wave with a grin, Kurome nodding in agreement.

Esdia sat down in another chair she had pulled up next to the couch in order to keep watch over Najenda.

"I'm so glad that you two were able to live...that evil...thing...it caused me so much pain…" she shuddered and could not go any further then that.

"You know that son of a bitch robot?" questioned Leone while she glanced at Esdia.

"Yes….I'm a Princess from the country that thing originates from. I had to run away because it and my country's Consul pulled a coup…" said Esdia sadly.

Leone sighed heavily and shared some words of empathy with her, Wave and Kurome remaining silent as she did. Leone then narrowed her eyes slightly a little bit after taking a good look at her and leaned in closer, Esdia drawing back slightly with a weirded out expression.

"Is something the matter, Miss Leone…?" she asked.

"For whatever reason….you seem familiar in some way…"

Leone looked at Esdia closely for a few more seconds before she leaned back in her chair and shrugged, giving up on her search for the reason as to why she looked familiar.

Footsteps were heard from the stairs and all heads turned to see Tatsumi and Mine walking down the stairs, Unryuu in the former's arms carrying her stuffed animal like a security blanket.

"There she is...the little bundle of joy…" said Kurome softly with a smile, Unryuu smiling back and waving.

"You want to hold her Kurome?" asked Tatsumi.

Kurome nod her head eagerly and he gently placed Unryuu down into her lap, the former Assassin smiling as she poked her on the nose in a playful manner. The child responded with a cute and innocent giggle, Kurome giggling in turn like she had gotten a contagious virus of cuteness.

"How are you feeling Leone?" asked Mine, the lioness grinning at her.

"I'm fine now, thanks for asking. Najenda on the other hand got the worst treatment…" she looked at Najenda with a mixed expression of sadness and anger.

"Before we do anything, I suggest we wait for her to wake up. She'd know the best course of action." said Wave, producing a round of head nods from the others.

"Then I'll be back in a moment, I'm going to check on Tyrant…" said Tatsumi as he walked back toward the stairs.

"Speaking of that...how in the hell did you end up making partners with *the* Tyrant?"

"And how is she a female…?"

Wave and Leone both looked at him as he stood ready to exit the living room. He turned to them, gave them an unknowing look coupled with a shrug, and went to the stairs. "Believe me...I'm still trying to contemplate it too."

He ascended the stairs and made the short walk to his room, stopping before the closed bedroom door and knocking. "Tyrant…? Are you decent?"

" _Yeah, come in._ "

He opened the door and stepped inside to a grinning Tyrant who was now thankfully dressed...more or less. She wore a white sarashi around her large tits and a modified red hakama with a black flame-like pattern at the bottom with gold highlights, tied by white strings.

"So? What do you think, Runt?" she asked, Tatsumi shaking off his slight blush and clearing his throat.

"Well...it's definitely better then being naked…" he replied, Tyrant snickering.

"For you Humans, I guess it is. Nothing else would fit my huge tits, so I just kept it simple. It's not like I'll be needing armor anyways, and I know you like to take glances at them now you dirty horndog~" she replied with a devilish grin, Tatsumi rolling his eyes slightly.

"Did you talk like this all the time when you were with your first wielder…? I mean….all of the ideas and thoughts I had on who you were are coming down all around me and I have nothing else to go on now..."

Tyrant's eyes widened slightly and she sighed a little bit before she sat down on the bed, patting the spot next to her for him to take. He did so and Tyrant looked into Tatsumi's eyes for a fraction of a second before sighing again and leaning back on her hands.

"Tatsumi...I'm a strange creature….my personality can shift in a matter of seconds...sometimes I just can't help it…"

"Tyrant…"

"I know this still must be a lot for you to take in….we used to be enemies, but now I'm wanting a partnership and a relationship out of you….so…"

She closed her eyes and turned her body to face him directly and opened her eyes again, staring him right in the eyes. "What do you want me to do...to prove to you that who I am, sitting before you, is the real me, and not the savage beast that you once knew?

Tatsumi opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of what to respond with to her question. He sat motionless for a few moments before the doubt faded from his expression and he slowly put a hand on hers, catching her attention immediately.

"If what you say is true….and that you are in love with me, and that you are willing to work together regardless of the events that occured last night….I want you to promise me." he said in a serious tone.

"Promise you?"

"Promise me, no, swear to me that you're not going to double-cross me or my family and friends, that you'll protect them with your life. And swear to me that the feelings you have for me are well and true….and if they are, then I'll meet them with my own in a proper manner…" he said with a slight smile, Tyrant's eyes widening a little as she blushed and then looked off to the side.

"You idiotic human…." she mumbled under her breath.

"Tyrant?" asked Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi...I swear on my life and soul I'll protect your family...and….I swear to you that my feelings….a-are true…." she said in a low tone, Tatsumi smiling as he wrapped an arm around her and embraced her.

"Thank you Tyrant...now come on, let's head downstairs."

She nod her head and walked with him back down the stairs to the living room, Leone eyeing her very carefully from her spot.

"So this is the legendary Tyrant…the King of Beasts…" she murmured aloud as Tatsumi took a seat next to Mine, Tyrant remaining standing.

"Yeah, so?"

"Never thought you'd be this damn sexy, like, holy shit." she said with a grin.

"Yeah, seriously...I never thought _the_ Tyrant would be a female…" added Wave after her. "But, I will say, knowing your name and seeing your appearance just feels...awkward, to say the least."

A round of nods came from the others, even Tatsumi, and Tyrant ran a hand through her hair and sigh.

"Well, you got me there...to be perfectly honest, Tyrant isn't really my name. The truth is, I used to have another name, and "Tyrant" is a title I later took on after hearing it from you Humans." said Tyrant with a slight grin.

"Really?" questioned Kurome.

Tyrant nodded. "Yes, Tyrant's not my real name. Unfortunately, it's been so long I've forgotten my old name…"

She took a seat down in Tatsumi's lap, a grunt escaping from his lips from the weight and feeling of her big ass on his loins. She snickered a little and Mine rolled her eyes before smiling a little.

"So...you think we should give you a new name?" she asked.

"That could work…"

"Well, what would you like? asked Leone, Tyrant thinking a little.

"Hmm….I want Tatsumi to give me a name.

He coughed a little while drinking some water out of a glass and set it down on the small table near him, wiping his mouth clean of the watery saliva mixture and clearing his throat.

"Um...alright then…"

He racked his brain for something meaningful and logical to name the female dragon, all eyes resting on him. Several names passed through his head like flashcards until finally he settled on a couple he believed would fit. Making sure he remembered them he shifted his position slightly under Tyrant's weight and coughed to get their attention.

"Um, Tyrant….what do you think of...Cinder?"

"Cinder…?" asked Wave, the name sounding a little off to him and only being confirmed by Tyrant when she shook her head.

"Yeah, maybe not that one…" muttered Tatsumi. "Hmm….Firenze…?"

"Firenze….Firenze…" murmured Tyrant several times, hearing herself say it over and over. "I think it fits…"

"Firenze...I think it sounds appropriate." said Esdia with a smile.

"Yeah, I agree." added Kurome.

Firenze heard a yes to the name from everyone else and she nod her head, grinning.

"Alright then, it's settled. My name's Firenze, the legendary Tyrant, King of Beasts~" she said, little flames emerging from behind her fanged teeth as she grinned.

At that moment a grunt came from Najenda and everyone quieted down as she slowly woke up from her weakness-induced state of unconsciousness. She pushed herself up into the sitting position and rubbed her eye, groaning some before she finally opened it and blinked several times to adjust to the light.

"What in the…" she groaned.

"Morning sleepy head~" chimed Leone with a grin, Najenda looking at her and everyone else one by one.

"I have to be dead…" she muttered to herself.

"No Najenda, you're not dead. You're safe now, away from the Capital. We rescued you." said Mine with a smile.

Najenda blinked a few more times before she realized she was sitting in Mine and Tatsumi's home and physically relaxed a great deal, her shoulders slumping and a heavy sigh of relief exiting her lungs.

"Thank god…"

"How are you feeling Najenda?" asked Wave, the former Night Raid leader rubbing the side of her head and groaning again.

"Tired...and I'm hungry as hell…"

"Well we have some food in the kitchen, want me to get it for you?" asked Mine, Najenda nodding her head vigorously.

She went to the Kitchen and scrounged out a plate of some food from the leftovers in the fridge, warmed it up, and brought it to her. Najenda took the silverware almost instantly and began to eat without a single word, hungrily scarfing down the food to appease her appetite after not eating.

Mine returned to her spot next to Tatsumi and they watched her ear ravenously in silence, Najenda paying then no mind, until she cleaned off the entire place and sighed heavily.

"Alright…" she murmured while glancing at everyone. "What's the situation?"

"Well, you see…" started Wave to speak for them first.

Wave went through everything that had occurred since he and Leone had been forced to leave her and Leone in the capital to the best of hiss abilities, Tatsumi and Mine adding in their input to fill in the blanks and give their side when it was needed. They ended on Tatsumi explaining Firenze's existence and introducing her to Najenda, who was put off by the truth of Tyrant's true self but quickly got over it.

"Well….that's certainly interesting…" she cleared her throat and adjusted her sitting position.

"What should we do Najenda…?" asked Mine.

The former Night Raid leader scratched her chin and thought for a few moments. There wasn't much they could do here against such a tough enemy who already has knowledge on who they were and what kind of Teigu Tatsumi had. And if they knew who he and Incursio was, then they could easily figure out what else they had and who everyone else was.

"To be honest….we shouldn't try waging war here…this enemy is entirely different then the old Empire...they're much better equipped and trained."

"And their commander appears to be just as strong, if not stronger then Esdeath…" murmured Tatsumi in a worried tone.

Najenda nod her head and sighed, "How I see it...we need to take the fight to the enemy."

"You mean…" said Esdia.

"We need to go to Judecca...and cut the head off the snake." said Najenda in a dead serious tone.

The room remained silent just long enough for her words to sink in, and when it felt like the very air could crack from the tension Wave stood up finally from his seat. Resolved in his decision, he crossed his arms across his chest and nod.

"I agree, that's the only viable answer."

"I do as well, would give me a chance to get some payback." replied Leone with a grin as she punched her fist into her hand.

"If Wave goes, I go." added Kurome with a small smile.

Tatsumi shared a look with his wife and when they both looked at Firenze and received a toothy grin in return, they nod their heads in unison.

"Of course we'll go too." spoke Tatsumi for the three of them.

"My parents in the Western Nations can look after Unryuu."

Mine then looked at Esdia, the last person to say anything, along with the others and making her the center of attention. The former princess gulped and shivered a little before closing her eyes and breathing to calm herself.

"I know my homeland….and my Uncle must still be there, since he hasn't come for me yet….I can take you to him." she declared as all of the fear she had was expunged.

"Then it's settled. First we give Tatsumi and Mine's daughter to her parents, then make a beeline to the coast where Wave's parents are." said Najenda with a small grin.

"Hey, Najenda runt." said Firenze, Najenda glancing at her. "Don't you think now would be an appropriate time that we take up _that_ mantle again?"

Najenda held her gaze before she grinned as well, chuckling to herself. "I guess it is…"

"Najenda, you aren't thinking of…"

"On this day...I formerly reinstate the assassin organization known as Night Raid."

 **\- Imperial Palace, Imperial Capital -**

"You allowed them to plot and come here unannounced to take my prisoners…"

"Yet you, my dear Warsaw, allowed them to escape with *your prisoners." mused the white masked man.

Warsaw snarled as he looked up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling produced by the escape. He remembered the dragon that had caused it and clenched his fists tightly in anger.

"You never fail to get on my nerves…" Warsaw growled again as he turned to White Mask and glared at him.

"I merely point out the truth of your failures." he replied with a snicker.

Warsaw took a heavy step toward him, his clawed toes digging into the floor, and White Mask summoned a fireball in his left hand which morphed into a withered violin. He rested his right hand on the hilt of what should be a sword in his scabbard and stared down the cyborg.

"For all of your brains and your defenses...you know that I can break you just as easily as breaking glass." said White Mask in a vile, poisonous tone that froze Warsaw in his tracks.

"You sickening being…." said Warsaw wth a low growl.

"It takes one to know one."

The withered violin turned to ashes in White Mask's hand and he began to walked toward the throne room doors, cackling to himself with each step. If he had ears or teeth Warsaw would be grinding them from the sound of White Mask's laughter, the noise like that sandpaper rubbing against itself.

"Our little rabbits, if my research is correct, will most certainly try to make their way to Judecca."

"And do you plan on stopping them before they do? questioned Warsaw, only to receive another bout of laughter.

"Oh heavens no! I may be the greatest tracker in the Inquisitorial but don't you think it would be easier if my prey was on our home turf where everyone is their enemy and that I know the land like the back of my hand?

White Mask glared at Warsaw with a single visible green eye, the devilish grin his mask had mocking the cyborg. He couldn't get mad at him however, since he did speak the truth, it would be logical.

"You're...not wrong…" he said begrudgingly, White Mask chuckling.

"Of course I'm not wrong."

He turned back around again and opened the throne room doors, filling the room with their heavy creaking.

"I'll catch our little rabbits, Warsaw, and I'll make them bleed…"

Warsaw watched him continue walking away from the throne room, his foot falls echoing off the marble walls and hitting Warsaw's hearing receptors before the doors closed. He turned away and held his arms behind his back, slightly shivering while he wondered if keeping him alive was either a blessing or a curse.

" _As long as he gets the job done, it won't matter either way…_ "

 **\- One Day Later -**

When Unryuu had been dropped off with Mine's parents in the Western Nations the day prior, the newly reformed Night Raid traveled through the wilderness of the New Kingdom, keeping away from the cities and other isolated towns for fear of being recognized.

"We're almost to my parents' home. I'm sure we can borrow their boat." said Wave as he and Kurome led them through some bushes.

"Non-commercial transport can be good, but at the same time it would be rather glaring if we showed up by ourselves in an unmarked boat." replied Najenda out of doubt.

"We could land off the coast, then go by foot. We could blend in with the crowd, just like old times." suggested Tatsumi.

Najenda nod her head in agreement. "Good idea."

"How far away are we now Wave?" asked Mine after maneuvering Extase through some low-lying branches a few minutes later.

"Actually, we're here."

They emerged from the woods to a quaint little home built offf the coast with a personal boat dock connected to it by wooden walkways. Moored to the deck was indeed a fairly large boat, and upon seeing it the boat brought a smile to Wave's face. He and Kurome, who had been here before, walked ahead of them to be the ones to meet with his parents and secure them their ride. The salty sea air was blown inland as a gentle breeze, the very feeling of it passing through their hair a harbinger of disaster, a calm before the storm.

"Will this be the first time any of you have stepped outside of home…?" asked Esdia softly as she stood next to Leone.

"Yeah, to be honest...I used to think the Eastern Nation was a myth, but to see people actually from it…" murmured Leone as she crossed her arms.

Tatsumi and Mine both nod their heads in silent agreement, Najenda just grunted a little through her nose, and Firenze put a hand on her hip and grinned a little.

"I've technically been there once before, but that was way, way earlier before any of you runts were ever born."

"Well...even though it's my home, it's been years since I've been there…" added Esdia shyly as she rubbed her right arm.

"Speaking of that, Princess, I'm sorry we had to get rid of your dress but-"

"I know, and it's okay. I understand why." said Esdia with a smile while adjusting her new clothes, a simple travel coat over some shorts and a shirt. "And I'm not a Princess, I haven't been one ever since I first came here, so just call me Esdia."

Before Najenda could respond Kurome came back to say they got permission and t follow her to the dock where Wave was preparing the boat.

She took them there and as they walked down the dock Wave grinned at them from the helm of the boat, striking a pose like a pirate captain.

"Ahoy!"

"Oh dear lord…" Mine snickered at his terrible impersonation of an old world pirate as they boarded.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" asked Najenda with a smirk.

"Permission granted."

The two shared a laugh and after a few minutes of putting all of their stuff away, the boat disembarked from the little dock and went out toward the sea with Wave controlling it, the other standing on the deck looking to the wide open sea. As they went out farther Mine looked off in the distance and paled a little when they saw what appeared to be several black dots on the water bobbing up and down.

"What's that over there…?" she asked, Tatsumi looking over with her and squinting his eyes.

"Landing ships….I can almost assure you that's what they used to invade the New Kingdom." answered Najenda with a grim look, the massive fleet a stark reminder of who they were going up against.

Several minutes later after they had left, from the forest behind Waves' parents home emerged a figure dressed in tattered cloaks and animal furs, a cow skull covering their entire face. The what seemed to be a man let out a raspy breath while the lantern in his right hand swayed slightly in the wind, hiss unseen gaze set firmly on the ocean.

"...They just left…"

" _Ah, good...come and return to the group, and we'll begin our journey back._ "

The man nod his head and slowly his body began to disintegrate into specks of black ash that drifted off in the wind, like he had never existed in the first place.

 **\- Three Days Later -**

 **\- Holy Palace, Holy Capital of Zion -**

Maxwell smiled as she watched from the throne altar as the church service taking place before her in the back half of the church and palace hybrid, stained glass windows standing tall behind her. The Holy Palace had become the nerve center of both the political and religious powers of Judecca, which both were controlled by Maxwell, especially after she had torn down the previous one and built the new one bigger and grander palace over its rubble.

She had solidified her place in Judecca as the living embodiment of a Goddess, and every Sunday she was treated to a nine o'clock service led by her most fanatic believer.

Her name was Ravenna, a Priestess that was able to so convincingly declare to the citizens she was a Goddess in the flesh and that any feat was possible to her. Her voice was like beautiful, corruptive golden silk and her words flowed forth like a river of syrup, intoxicating those in the crowd of people sitting before the altar.

Maxwell took special native of several women in the crowd who seemed entranced by Ravenna's preaching, their head and bodies swaying back and forth like they were drunk.

" _They'll do nicely…_ "

"And so now, we shall see who our powerful and benevolent Goddess shall bless on this day, this good Sunday…"

Ravenna, with her split dark purple and blonde hair, turned and gestured to Maxwell. She stood up and slowly made her ay down to the same level as Ravenna, who bowed in her presence.

"You...you, and….you." she pointed to the three women she had spotted and slowly they left their pews, two of them separating from their husbands, and approached the altar.

Maxwell smiled as they each lowered themselves onto their knees, where she could gently mark their foreheads with a single dot of blue paint.

"Please, allow my handmaidens to take you away…~" she said softly, the three women nodding and bowing their heads as two other women dressed in black robes arrived to lead them down the aisle past the pews to a winding staircase.

"I have made my choices."

Maxwell spread her arms out as sunlight shone through the stained glass windows behind her, a pair of pure white metallic angel wings grew from her back and spread out as wide as they could, easily spanning thirty feet from tip to tip.

"Praise the Goddess!"

"Praise the Goddess!" echoed the men and women before her with Ravenna, before they bowed their heads in prayer.

When it was finished the people began to file out now that the service had concluded, Ravenna turning to face Maxwell after the latter's wings had vanished.

"I'll prepare at once."

"Thank you, Ravenna. You may go."

Ravenna bowed her head and she left the altar, Maxwell waiting for a few moments before following in the steps of her handmaidens up the stairs to the second floor of the church palace contained in the Leah cylindrical tower that dominated one side of the palace.

"They're ready for you, milady." said one Handmaiden as she stood with her partner on either side of a bedroom door.

"Thank you, my loyal servants. You may go." replied Maxwell.

The Handmaidens bowed and left the circular chamber, walking back down the stairs to leave their master. Maxwell approached the door and slowly opened it to reveal it as her bedroom, and sitting on her fairly large bed were the three women she had selected.

The only difference from them and now was that their eyes were somewhat glassed over, with a sort of foggy, distant look, and that they were entirely without clothes and completely naked.

"Hello, my faithful servants….your Goddess is here to bless you with the greatest of gifts…" whispered Maxwell as she slowly closed the door and locked it.

The three women looked her way and all of them smiled in a drunken manner, their bodies swaying slightly again.

Maxwell grinned a little as she slowly began to strip down out of her dress and robes as she approached the edge of the bed, the three women eyeing her every movement like they were entranced. She finally got down to just her dress and ass the silky fabric slipped away, her womanly body being totally revealed with the exception of one major detail.

"You'll make perfect soldiers for my army…." she whispered softly as she reached down between her legs and ran her hand up and down a flaccid dick, paired with a nutsack, hanging right over her pussy.

" _Although I made this modification to my body for my own purposes...it still feels rather awkward…_ " thought Maxwell.

She climbed onto the bed as she stroked her dick to get it hard and looked from one woman to the next, wondering which one would come first over the other. Once she was erect one of the two married women immediately laid down on her back and spread her legs wide open for Maxwell to hold her hips and slide her dick right into her pussy.

" _Yes...quite nicely indeed…._ " she thought to herself as she started to fuck the woman, keeping her own pleasure on a leash while the woman moaned and breathed heavily.

"Ahhh….aaaannghh…~" the woman continued to moan over and over until Maxwell grit her teeth and pushed deep into the woman, letting loose a load of semen into her womb.

She then pulled out and went to the next married woman, fucking her doggy style until the same result arrived. She then went to the third woman. Her already lubed up cock sliding in and out of her pussy rapidly with hardly any resistance.

With a final grunt Maxwell sent a stream off semen into the third woman's womb and left her breathing heavily in a drooling, drunk, pleasure-induced state.

" _There….another three…._ "

She pulled out of the woman and got up off the bed to cover herself up as she opened the door to her room.

"Take them to Ravenna, just like the others." she ordered the three Archangels waiting outside.

They silently walked in and carried the three women out one by one, Maxwell closing the door and losing the towel she used to cover herself. She then walked over to her desk and sat down with a sigh, looking down at the dick standing up from heer crotch and shaking her head a little.

" _The lengths that I have gone…_ "

She sighed again as she leaned back a little in her chair and looked at the same spot on the wall she would always focus on until her eyes wandered to a heart shaped locket resting at the corner of it.

She stared at it for a moment and closing her eyes, a river of memories coming back to her.

 **\- Holy City of Corinthians -**

"So this is a Judeccan city…" murmured Tatsumi in awe as the group walked into the city from one of the gates.

Like the plan called for they had landed a little ways away from the city down the coast and hiked their way to it on foot to blend in with the crowd easier. They were expecting something along the lines of their cities and towns back in the New Kingdom, but those expectations were totally blown out of the water by what they saw.

The buildings were either stone or metal, adorned with gothic decorations and predominantly metal pipes that rattled every so often from the steam that rushed through it. Men and women dressed in Victorian-style clothes strolled along on sidewalks as steam-powered automobiles honked their way through the streets.

Leone coughed a little from the smell of burning coal that came from the factory smoke stacks, and Najenda looked from person to person around them.

"Do you see something Bsss?" asked Leone after her coughing fit.

"Something's just...off…."

Wave's sixth sense suddenly screamed at him and he pulled everyone into a nearby alley to hide behind some crates stacked near the mouth.

"Wave? What's going on?!"

"Shhh!" he shushed Mine to get heer and everyone else quiet.

"So...you didn't see a group of new arrivals from the New Kingdom…?"

The cold, unhinged and raspy voice struck them like an off key piano shrill and they cringed as a man was pushed to his knees by another man dressed in rags and animal fur.

Anther man with a top hat, suit, coat and various small jars with tiny flames in them strapped to a bandolier across his chest came up next to him, then a woman dressed in gold and copper armor with a hood covering a majority of her head and a crown resting on top lopsided. Finally a second woman with long cream-colored hair wearing a unique long sleeves navy blue sweater with matching thigh-high boots and a very curvaceous body with bigger tits then any woman ever seen before.

Finally White Mask approached the man and Leone got a heavy child up and down her spine from the unnerving smile etched into the face.

"No, no I didn't, I swear!" the man, probably the dock master, stuttered.

"I'm inclined to believe you, but...at the same time, that would also mean you didn't do your job." White Mask then nod to the second woman. "Do not worry, your death will not be in vain, be happy, for the Goddess will bring you to Paradise." Murmured White Mask as the woman reared back.

From her right sleeve five long and incredibly sharp metal claws were brought it and then plunged through the base of the man's neck. Esdia let out a tiny gasp and Mine shielded her from looking at the scene any longer.

"...G-Goddess….take me…." gurgled the man as blood oozed down from his mouth and neck, staining hiss clothes.

Tatsumi was about to turn away before he looked closer and saw that the woman who had killed the man was crying as she removed the claws and lowered them to her side, the lifeless body falling to the ground with a wet smack.

"Well damn…" whispered Firenze. "Don't piss her off…"

"The people…" uttered Kurome with a stone cold tone."

"They...don't even care...like they have no souls…"

Chills were received by them all as the people who watched the ordeal play out merely continued their walking, not even giving a second thought to the man who was just murdered in public. Even the children walking with thei parents did not cry out in terror at the sight of blood or death...they only walked.

"What kind of place did we come to…"


	11. The Inferno

A/N. Welcome back everyone to the 10th chapter of the story. Sorry about these long gaps between chapters, its just that I have school to worry about so there are times where I can write and such. Bear with me though!

 **Also, read this! Here soon I'm thinking of making a Discord Server where I shall post all, and I mean ALL pictures of characters from this story and from my first AgK story, "A Different Path", and it can also function as a place where you can personally ask me questions instead of relying on the email system of Fanfiction. THe link for this server will be on my profile, so check it out! Please and thank you!**

Leave a favorite and review.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - The Inferno**

"Spread out through the city, find them."

His cold voice delivered the order with utter seriousness, all White Mask's followers save for the big-breasted woman dispersing out to find the newcomers. White Mask himself stared at her for a few more seconds before he held up her chin to look her in the eyes as she cried.

"Get your act together….those emotions are not needed…" he hissed, the woman flinching a little before she bowed her head.

White Mask let go of her head and swiftly turned around, his coat entrails flapping behind him with each step before he had finally left the area. The woman kept looking down at the body of the man she had killed for a minute or two before she shuddered one last time and walked away.

Tatsumi waited until her footsteps had faded away into the hustle and bustle of the city and he turned around to look at everyone, Firenze grinning at the look in his eyes.

"I know what he's going to say next…~"

"What is it Tatsumi?" asked Mine.

"Seeing what just happened….Esdia, does this place have a sewer system?" He asked of the former princess.

"Um, yes I believe so. We'll just have to find a-"

"Manhole cover right here!" exclaimed Leone ass she crouched down next to a manhole cover and pulled it up to reveal a ladder leading down into the swears. It was obvious what they needed t do to remain undetected so one by one they descended into the city underground, Tatsumi being the last one to go down so he could close the cover over them.

"Ugh, it smells down here…" muttered Wave with a disgusted look as they looked around in the darkness.

"Well its a sewer, so it's to be expected." said Firenze with a snicker.

"Come on, let's get moving. Hopefully we'll find the way out of this outside of the city…" murmured Najenda as she started to walk on the concrete walkway raised up above the river of sewer water.

Everyone else followed behind her, their footsteps echoing off the rounded walls of the sweater tunnels. They passed by a couple of separate tunnels that led off the undoubtedly different sections of the sewers, and since they hardly had any light to use to see, Firenze was leading them since she could see perfectly in the dark.

They came to a bend and continued to walk for another few minutes before she stopped, the others coming to a halt behind her.

"Firenze?" asked Kurome silently before she pointed up ahead of them, motioning to remain silent.

After a few moments from the left emerged White Mask walking calmly and slowly in the tunnels, walking along with a cane in his hands like it was a walk in the park.

"Come out come out wherever you are….~" he said into the darkness as he turned down the path heading toward them, his pure white mask seemingly glowing.

"Go, go, go!" whispered Najenda as they took off down an adjacent tunnel to get away from the man.

"Oooooh I can hear your footsteps….I wonder where you are…~" asked White Mask in a mocking tone as he summoned his violin and drew the bow which rested in his sword scabbard, resting it on the strings.

"Come out!"

He drew the bow across the strings sharply and created a high pitch shrill that sent a huge plume of fire screaming down the sewer tunnel, blazing past the route Niht Raid had gone down and illuminating all of their faces.

"Does anyone know where the fuck we are?!" asked Leone in a whisper as they stopped running to make themselves less likely to be found immediately.

"W-We have to avoid him…..h-he'll kill us…" stuttered Esdia out of terror, Mine comforting her before the same heartless voice spoke to them again.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…"

Footsteps started to come their way and they began to move away from them again as quietly as possible, the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end from the adrenaline and terror of being trapped down in the sewers with whoever was after them.

"Wait a minute, why am I running from this welp?"

Firenze stopped in her tracks and turned around, the others doing the same more out of the reason to figure out why she had.

"Firenze...what are you doing?!" asked Wave frantically as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the man to appear.

He finally rounded the corner and actually stopped a little out of surprise from seeing that she was waiting for him, her eyes glowing in the darkness. They stared at one another in silence before Tyrant cracked her knuckles and grinned wildly as she started to breath in air through her teeth.

"You want fire? I'll show you what real fire is!

She then reared her head back, puffed her cheeks up and threw it forward, unleashing a massive wave of fire that consumed the man and blasted against the back of the server tunnel, spreading out and scorching the walls even further and causing the sewer water to boil and turn to steam.

After another minute Firenze finally cut off the stream by closing her mouth and grinned as tiny little remnants of fire escaped from between her teeth. Confident the man couldn't have survived that she remained standing where she was, waiting for the smoke to finally clear so they could see his smoking corpse.

Instead, what they got was White Mask standing perfectly unharmed right where he had been originally, staring at them.

"What?!" sputtered Najenda in disbelief, Firenze's jaw dropping.

"It was a valiant effort, really, but with that...there's no way you could kill me." said White Mask in a snide tone as he wiped some ash off his shoulder.

"You bastard human!" Firenze snarled as she rushed him and began to utterly devastated his body.

With fierce punches and kicks she caused several of his bones to break and crack over and over with each consecutive hit until finally she reared back and delivered a punch to White Mask's jaw that caused every single bone in his spine to break and twist as his head spun around almost a full one hundred and eighty degrees. His body flew back into the wall with a deafening boom and left an impact crater in its wake, all of his bones either totally shattered or broken beyond repair.

"Well damn….overkill much…" murmured Wave under his breath while Tatsumi and Mine stared in awe of the Danger Beasts prowess.

"And that's how you take out the trash…" said Firenze with a chuckle as she wiped her hands and turned her back on the thought to be dead White Mask.

"...Are you so sure…?"

Everyone froze up as if the temperature of the room dropped to below freezing, Firenze slowly turning her head back around to see White Mask just staring at them just barely out of the corner of his mask's eye hole. Several sickening and loud cracks came from his limbs as he pulled himself from the crater in the wall and fell into a heap on the ground.

Then piece by piece he began to realign his shattered bones and build himself back up again, his legs coming together first then his arms realigning and snapping back into place. He twisted his back around, every segment of his broken spine snapping and cracking until he was standing upright with his head facing he complete opposite direction.

"With that display...you did hurt me a tiny bit…" said White mask ass he reached around his neck with his hand and forcibly wrenched his head back into the proper place.

Tatsumi flinched at the loud snap and shivered again at the taunting grin plastered onto the surface of his mask. His single visible eye blinked once as he reached down and grabbed his violin and bow again, holding them in his hands as he stared past their bodies and into their very souls.

"Run~"

He began to cackle loudly like a maniac as he played his violin and unleashed another storm of fire, Firenze making one to match it while the others ran away to escape White Mask. She then chased after them when the fire dispersed and White Mask continued to cackle.

"Come on you little rats!" shrieked White Mask blissfully as he flowed them at a brisk walk, his cackle echoing off the walls.

"How the hell do we get out of here?!" shouted Leone as they ran through the sewers to get away from the psychopath.

"I-I don't know!" squealed Esdia out of terror when the hiss of flames licking the walls behind them crept up on them.

They rounded a corner and came to a screeching halt when they came upon the woman with the cream-colored hair standing in the murky water staring blankly at them.

A brief moment of silence and heavy tension existed between them before she turned around and started to run toward the fork in the tunnels up ahead, her hair flapping wildly behind her.

"What?" whispered Mine in disbelief before the woman motioned for them to follow.

"We'll take any chance we get, come on!" ordered Tatsumi as they followed the woman, darting with her to the left at the fork into a different section of the sewers.

She took them far away from the maniacal laugh of the psychotic violinist and his scorching flames, finally arriving at a dead end where a ladder was situated in the wall to lead them up to safety. The woman motioned again upwards and one by one they climbed to freedom, piling out onto the street directly before one of the gates leading out of the city until Kurome, the last one, slammed the manhole cover down and sighed out of relief.

"You will never catch me in a sewer again...holy shit…" gasped Wave, out of breath, as he collapsed to a knee next to Kurome.

Meanwhile Tatsumi stood with Mine and Firenze before their unknown savior, the woman continuing to stare blankly at them without uttering a single word.

"Um...thank you?" Mine said doubtfully, still unsure of the woman's allegiance.

No other response came from the woman other then a blink of the eyes.

"Why did you help us? Isn't he your leader?" questioned Tatsumi in an attempt to get her to talk.

She kept on staring at him and the others for a few more moments before she glanced over her shoulder, seemingly checking they were alone, looked back, went up to Tatsumi and hugged him without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"E-Eh?" he stuttered, blushing a tiny bit when the woman's huge tits squished against his chest.

"What in the hell is going on…" whispered Leone to Najenda, who could only shrug.

The woman held her hug for a little longer before she stepped away and left them in a hurry.

"Well, with that….this is our chance, let's get out of this place." said Wave after recovering his breath, the group quickly leaving the scene and escaping the city and its threats.

They didn't stop to rest until they were at least a mile away and hunkered down behind some low-lying hills, Esdia sitting down and breathing heavily from not being used to so much movement.

"Good lord…" muttered Kurome with a glance at the city.

"You're telling me, runt…" growled Firenze. "I know for a fact I broke that bastard's entire skeletal system...and he just walked it off…"

Tatsumi looked to Esdia with an inquisitive expression, tapping her on the shoulder. "Do you know who that was?"

Esdia shook her head several times and they were left in the dark as to who their assailant was. The only things they knew were that for some unknown reason, not even a lethal beating by a Danger Beast like Firenze couldn't even phase him, due to either an extreme resistance to pain or just an utterly stupid healing factor as a result of some ability or, the obvious answer, his violin.

"Whatever he was...that violin of his…."

"Do you think it's one of the lost Teigu?" asked Mine in a low tone.

Najenda frowned and rubbed her chin a little, wishing that she had the one thing that could tell them the answer they were looking for.

" _Rongo Rongo…_ "

The Teigu book that held information about the entire world, holding every single map in it and holding intricate details about the old Empire's territories, and on its last page it even held predictions about future natural disasters. It's most recent addition after the fall of the Empire was a first page with a complete list of all the Teigu that were ever made by the First Emperor during his time.

Every single one was accounted for, with the mighty Shikoutazer as he very first entry down the Rongo Rongo itself at the very bottom of the list.

" _Dammit….Akame...I wish you were here right now…_ " thought Najenda with a tiny growl.

"I wouldn't think the runt of a First Emperor would make such an evil looking weapon…" said Firenze as she crossed her arms.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes, I do. That violin was dark in color, had crack in it with the appearance that it had just been removed from a fire...it looked evil…" she explained.

"Then what the hell is it, a copy of a Teigu? Some rip-off?"

 **\- Back in the City -**

In the city, White Mask climbed out of the sewers to the group of his associates and he sighed, his violin dissipating into fiery embers while he slid the bow back into his sheath.

"It seems we have our work cut out for us…" he said, his gaze coming to rest on the woman with cream-colored hair.

"Nirvana...did you help them to escape from the sewers…?"

She shook her head slowly, her blank stare remaining locked on White Mask's face. The man stared at her in silence before he began to cackle and laugh at her, the citizens around them unaffected by the vicious noise coming from behind his mask.

"Well, it's not like you can tell me. We know that, right?" he asked as he gripped her jaw tightly and stared into her eyes.

"Lie to me again...and I'll do more then just take away your ability to speak…" he hissed, Nirvana whimpering a little before she was thrown to the ground harshly.

She grunted when her jaw and the side of her head struck the cobblestone street and jarred her vision a little, the other three figures with White Mask barely paying attention to her. Slowly their bodies began to break down and turn to a black ash that drifted away in the air, like they didn't even exist in the first place, until it was just her and White Mask.

Nirvana carefully picked herself off the ground and stood before White Mask again, keeping her expression devoid of emotion despite the blood trickling down her chin from the left side of her lips.

"Soon, you'll be just like them….you'll be free…" said White Mask in an uncharacteristic soft voice, his hand rubbing her cheek before wiping the blood away.

"It seems we must inform our superior of our guests…"

White Mask summoned his violin and with a single note a sphere of fire and ash took shape before them, widening out vertically into an oval mirror.

After waiting the mirror-like surface shimmered and the image of a voluptuous woman wearing lewd clothing with a leather cap, long dulled blood red hair and pointed ears appeared standing in front of something in a darkened expanse.

"My horrible, horrible Superior, your loyal servant is calling you…" spoke the humanoid clone of ash and fiery embers that formed a foot away from her.

The woman's ears twitched and she turned around, rolling up the bloodied black whip her her hands and smiling.

"Hoooh...my darling little crooked subordinate…~" she said as she licked her lips with an abnormally long tongue.

She narrowed her visible right eye, the other hidden behind her dyed green bangs.

"So...what news do you have for me from the new world?"

"Actually, I've returned to Judecca. Our enemies have come here…" said White Mask through the ash clone.

"Goodness me...and you're hunting them, correct?" she asked, the clone nodding. "Good~. I'll tell our wonderful Goddess the news...if they become too much we'll have to call them~"

"Yes….anyways, that's all I have to report."

"Okay, have fun hunting dear~"

The clone dissipated and the woman waved a little before she turned around and took a deep breath, sighing happily before starting to hum.

"There was a crooked man who walked a crooked mile, and he found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile~. He bought a crooked cat who caught a crooked mouse, and they all lived together in a crooked little house…~"

She waved around her rolled up whip like a conductor's baton, twirling around as music played in heer ears.

"But the crooked man was sad and once he had a thought, why should he be crooked, when others, they were not? Everything was worthless, he heaved a great big sigh. And he went and found a rope and tied it to the sky…" she giggled as she twirled around one last time and held her arms upward.

"Upon a chair he stood, his eyes were blank and dead, without another thought, he went and hung his head~!"

She closed her eyes and giggled happily as the music in her ears turned to the horrific, blood-curdling screams of anguish of innumerable amounts of people being ruthlessly tortured by those loyal to the woman. What was so horrifying abut the devilish place was that it wasn't just men...there were men, women, even children, all of them being put through the absolute worse treatment a human could experience.

The massive underground chamber was sectioned off into different tears, nine in total, each one more horrifying and vile then the last. Downward they led to the lowest level, were blood that dripped from the higher floors was poured from metal chutes and pipes.

This viscous red liquid formed a lake that covered the entire bottom of the floor, and it was here where the woman stood on a single stone platform, an "X" shaped crucifix before her.

Strapped t it was an unfortunate soul who's back had been whipped for so long the skin had peeled and shredded, leaving their spine partially exposed.

"I have to go now dear, hang tight, okay~?" she asked of the man after setting down the whip.

Crimson red devil wings sprouted from her back and she bega to float up toward the eight tier, the woman looking all around her damn as if she were Satan herself.

" _Such beautiful screams of agony….it makes me so wet….~_ " she thought with a dirty smirk.

Eventually she reached the very first tier and she approached a ladder, first drying herself of blood that had accumulated on her clothes. Her wings then vanished and she ascended the ladder, emerging in an empty room and walking to some closed doors.

As soon as she opened them brilliant multi-colored light flooded her and the room as she walked out into the palace to the right of the altar and throne, the stained glass windows behind it the source of the colors.

" _Little do the people know...that as they worship their Goddess here...the Devil herself works beneath them~_ "

She made the familiar journey up into the large domed tower built into the holy palace and came to a closed bedroom door, one she was quite happy to see.

"Oh Miss Goddess, your Devil is here to speak with you~" she said as she knocked on the door.

" _Enter Doroline._ "

Thee woman giggled as she opened the door and walked inside to Maxwell siting at her desk in a nightgown, holding her locket and gently rubbing its smooth surface.

Doroline sat down on Maxwell's bed and bounced up and down a little on it, smiling at her.

"How's it going Dear~?" she asked softly, Maxwell sighing.

"Fine, fine….three more added today."

"Oh that's good~! I'm sure they'll love their new roles in service to Judecca."

Maxwell smiled a little as she set her locket down and went to sit next to Doroline on the edge of her bed.

"So...what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, my dear Gaster told m that some dissenters from across the pond have come here~"

"It must be those whom we read about...the Teigu users from that old Revlutionary Army…"

Doroline rubbed Maxxwell's inner thigh, getting closer to her so that her breath was constantly hitting her neck every time she breathed.

"What shall we do? Call back Warsaw...or…~?

"Summon those fou back, since they're the closest...tell them it's a direct order from me." stated Maxwell, who put a hand on Doroline's hand to stop her from rubbing.

"Of course~. Anything else?"

Maxwell then dropped her seemingly aloof wall and held Doroline's hand as she looked at her in the eyes with a certain softness in them, with some longing as well.

"Help me forget….all of the pain…"


	12. The Megalith

A/N Alright everyone here's the next chapter, and I havnt recieved not a single PM about asking to be apart of my private Discord to see the character images! Dont be shy!  
Leave a favorite and Review.

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 **Chapter 11 - The Megalith**

After recovering from their quick flight from the port city, Night Raid regathered themselves and began to trick through the uncharted territory of Judecca, Esdia their guide across the terrain.

"This place reminds me of the New Republic...flowing grasslands, it's relatively flat…" murmured Leone as they walked over a tiny little hump.

"This actually constitutes a small part of Judecca, most of it consists of rocky plateaus and deserts, as well as tundras to the north. It's a harsh environment, which is why most of the population is situated near the coast." replied Esdia.

"Where are we going anyways Esdia?"

Esdia pointed out into the distance, stopping for a moment in her walking, to direct their attention to a tall structure in the distance that stretched high into the sky above a mountain range.

"There….the Megalith."

The Megalith, Judecca's most ancient and infamous of its structures, dating back to a time even before Zion all the way to the nation's birth. Built during Judecca's earliest days, the Megalith was first a symbol of might for its impressive size and scale, acting as the home of Judecca's ancestral population.

When Zion was constructed in the fertile land near the coastline, the massive tower was left empty as its denizens moved to the newer city, and it wasn't touched again until much, much later in its lifespan.

The Megalith was once again used by the people of Judecca as not another place of living, but rather a place of isolation and discipline...the large tower had become Judecca's prison. A small fraction of the massive tower's intestines were used as a prison where the nation's criminals were sent to serve out their sentences under the watchful eye of an appointed Warden.

As a result of this change...the Megalith's once noble and mythical name soon turned to an infamous and ominous one when horror stories of how its new denizens were treated by the Warden and his employed prison guards. Meager meals, limited time spent out of their cells, discrimination, they piled on an on until Karna Masta took the throne and changed the head of the prison.

"The new Warden my grandfather put in charge of the Megalith was my Uncle...Lazarus." said Esdia to finish her story telling behind the structure.

"Well damn…" murmured Wave, his gaze locked on the tower in the distance.

"Let's get a move on then….let's get there before nightfall." ordered Najenda as they group continued to move again.

 **\- Far Eastern Judeccan Territory -**

"It would seem there's no much out here left to conquer…I have a feeling we'll be going back home soon." said Grimmjaw as he popped his neck and sheathed his rapier.

"You think so Grimmjaw? I mean, its not like we destroyed the entire town and have nothing else left to do." asked a physically fit, lean, Caucasian man standing next to him in a sarcastic manner.

With his various tattoos on his arms, a brown and black vest on his upper body, and a long gown-like garment featuring various belts and straps, the final piece a top hat resting on top of his dull grey hair, he looked straight out of a Steampunk-themed movie.

"It's a possibility, Giovanni." replied Grimmjaw with a chuckle.

The man named Giovanni grinned, one of his hands coming up out of habit to rub that vicious burn scar on the left side of his face and the half Glasgow smile he sported.

"Well, stay here or go back, I expect money either way."

"Your material desires disgust me…" muttered a third man wearing a black cloak with long sleeves, a large collar, and a single red cloud on the lower chest area.

His face was covered by a face mask and he wore a unique head-protector with flaps that covered his ears and left his spiky dark teal hair open to the elements. There was no feeling of emotion in his pasty white eyes, and his sleeves flapped a little in the breeze as if there were nothing in them at all.

"Well no shit, I'm the sin that embodies Greed, so of course I like money." rebuked Giovanni. "What about you, Mister Gluttony?"

The shorter man gave him a stone-cold death glare. "I hunger for death. Nothing more, nothing less. Killing satisfies my hunger."

"Well, I'm certain that there's plenty of willing volunteers that would be glad to help satisfy your hunger~"

The three men turned as their fourth travel companion scaled the small hill they were standing on to be with them, her back facing the smoking ruins of the town they had just destroyed. The soft breeze caused her long blue hair to flow and wave around slightly, and her confident grin brought a smile to Giovanni's face.

"Everything taken care of down there, Ice Queen?" asked Grimmjaw with a chuckle.

"Of course, just like she asked...no survivors."

All of a sudden a massive column of ice smashed down into the town from above, shaking the earth and obliterating what remained with its sheer size and the shockwave it produced from impact.

"Well damn...you certainly live up to that old title, Esdeath." jeered Giovanni with a grin.

"You mean "Empire's Strongest General"? That's all in the past...here I have the chance to make a new name for myself and crush new opponents beneath my heel." replied Esdeath with a malicious grin, some of her toxic bloodlust leaking out.

Grimmjaw chuckled as Giovanni shivered from the tiny fraction of the former Empire General's powerful bloodlust, the third male hardly even moving and remaining emotionless. Esdeath noticed this and playfully bumped her elbow into his arm, her grin turning into a carefree smile.

"You know you can breath right, Xerxes~? Lighten up a little."

"I'll refrain…"

"So, Grimmjaw...what do we do now?" inquired Giovanni.

Before he could answer a familiar sound came within earshot and he turned his head, spotting a fully mechanized falcon soaring toward them through the air at high speeds.

"Ah, a message."

He extended an arm out and the mechanical falcon dropped a wrapped scroll into his open hand, then soared away without stopping or slowing down for that matter. Grimmjaw then proceeded to unwrap it and start to read its contents, the other three watching him closely for any facial reactions that could give them a hint.

"What does it say?" asked Esdeath when Grimmjaw finished reading and crumpled up the paper.

"We're being summoned back by the Empress. There seems to be some visitors from across the ocean she's not to keen about keeping alive."

Esdeath's eyes widened a fraction of an inch when he mentioned visitors from across the ocean, which mean to her they would have come from the old Empire...her old home. She held a hand over her heart when it skipped a beat and thought to herself what this meant, her mind having trouble deciding if she should be excited or not.

"Oh? What do you mean by visitors?" questioned Giovanni.

"It doesn't say." Grimmjaw crossed his arms over his chest. "But we can assume their threats strong enough to have caught her attention."

" _He...he might have come here...Tatsumi…_ " thought Esdeath, Grimmjaw's voice like a distant echo.

"Esdeath…..Esdeath!"

"Huh, what?"

She looked at Grimmjaw after being shaken free from her thoughts by his voice, Giovanni and Xerxes staring at her with expectant looks.

"Did you hear me? I asked if you had any idea who these guys could be."

Esdeath blinked and expertly hid her feelings and thoughts behind a porcelain mask and grinned a little while shrugging.

"I might have a few ideas, but we can talk as we travel. Let's get going."

 **\- The Wastelands, Judecca Center Territory -**

 **\- Sunset -**

"There it is….the Megalith."

Esdia pointed from the top of the hill when everyone crested it to the large tower stretching upwards into the sky before them, the setting sun coming down behind it.

"Holy shit…." murmured Wave at the sheer size of the tower. "And this place used to be a...city…?

"Mhm...now it's a prison, like I said….only the very bottom i used through….ninety percent of the tower is still empty." explained Esdia as they walked down the gentle slope of the rocky mound toward the front gates of the Megalith, which were surrounded by large rocks and boulders.

"Just let me talk to the guards…"

"Understood."

Najenda hung back with Tatsumi, Mine and the others while she walked up to the gate, pulling back her hood to uncover her slightly messy silvery white hair.

"Who are you?" asked one of the prison guards as they tightened their grip on their rifles.

"Is...my uncle here?" asked Esdia with a shy expression, the guard on the left hesitating slightly before he gasped.

"Miss Esdia!"

The other guard gasped and they instantly shouldered their rifles, the two men running to Esdia and kneeling next to her out of concern.

"Where have you been all of this time?!"

"Away….listen, I need to see my uncle, me and my friends."

She motioned to Najenda and the others and the guards looked at them for a few moments before one gave the signal with his hand for them to approach. Najenda walked ahead of them with Tatsumi, Mine and Firenze right behind her, and Kurome, Wave and Leone at the rear.

"These are your friends, Lady Esdia?"

"Mhm...this is Najenda, Tatsumi, Mine, Firenze, Leone, Wave, and Kurome."

They all introduced themselves with a smile or a handshake, or both, and the guards stood back up with Esdia between them and bowed.

"Welcome to the Megalith, we'll take you to Lazarus."

One guard then turned and approached the heavy iron gates, the obstacle rising upward after a few moments to grant them entry into the Megalith. Tatsumi held Mine's hand as they followed Najenda inside past the gates, the massive entry chamber bigger then anything they had seen before. Columns dotted the walls and ancient tapestries hung from those walls, easily being oldest things aside from the tower itself they could see.

"Wow….you can practically feel the history of this place….." murmured Kurome as she gazed up at the high ceiling.

"Yeah, but this is only the ground floor...a few of us have managed to explore more of this tower and it's incredible." remarked one of the guards next to Esdia. "Judecca's ancestors left behind so much evidence of their stay here, it's almost as if they had never left."

"Maybe we could check it out once we meet this uncle of yours, Esdia…" said Wave.

They crossed the threshold of the entrance hall on the first floor and reached a guarded entryway, several prison guards wearing armor and wielding rifles standing motionless. However once they recognized Esdia walking with their compatriots they relaxed their stances almost instantly and greeted her with smiles on their faces, the former Princess responding in kind.

"Could a call be made to my Uncle?" she asked politely to the gate checkpoint operator, the man nodding.

"Of course, Mistress."

He pulled up a microphone for the integrated PA system and sent an announcement through the occupied levels of the prison for the Warden. When the announcement ended Esdia remained standing where she was while the others engaged in their own little small talk to pass the time.

"So...I wonder if this place is as old as the Empire…" said Mine to Tatsumi and Firenze within their little group.

"It probably is...say, Firenze?" She looked at Tatsumi when he addressed her. "Do you remember ever seeing this place before?"

"Hmm….I don't think so, not in the time I was here….but I can feel the history this structure contains within its walls...it's very humbling, really." replied Firenze with a small smile.

"Humbling?"

"Look around you...this tower is older then old itself...a testament to those who built it since it's lasted this long."

Tatsumi and Mine could only stare at her in shock, the usually fiery Danger Beast acting like a scholar, almost a philosopher. She saw their expressions and grinned at them while winking, putting her hands on her hips.

"What, didn't think I could talk in a way like that~?"

They nod their heads simultaneously and the three of them all laughed together, the sound echoing off the walls of the entrance chamber. A few minutes later the doors being watched over by the guards opened and a tall gentleman wearing a uniquely stylized dark purple suits and dress pants with gold and grey elements emblazoned in the fabric walked in. Purple gloves covered his hands, the left gently holding on to a maroon book, but the most startling feature of the man was what covered his head.

Ragged, labored breathes echoed out from the unique helmet he wore around his head, his green eyes staring out from the eyeholes built into it, and it seemed that after coming to a stop that the hunched over slightly and had to recover from some unknown ailment.

"Uncle Lazarus…?" asked Esdia shyly as she timidly approached the man.

"...Esdia….you..."

He spoke with a pained voice, like one of a smoker, before he kneeled and hugged her tightly like a mother would its child after being seperated for too long. Najenda refrained from asking anything until the two had their moment of reunion, Lazarus finally letting go of Esdia and looking at her in the eyes.

"Esdia, I'm so sorry I couldn't come to you...I can't go anywhere outside the prison without being monitored…"

He coughed a few times before Esdia'ss expression softened heavily and she gingerly ran her fingers along the jawline of the helmet around her uncle's head, the cold metal hiding a sinister secret beneath it.

"Uncle….what's this around your head…?"

"It's...a punishment. After you escaped...my face was heavily burned and scared, leaving me disfigured to the point I'm unrecognizable, and this helmet feeds on my stamina constantly to produce an incident, hellish burning sensation that can never go away."

"That's awful…" murmured Mine under her breath while Esdia teared up at her Uncle's misfortune.

"Lazarus….I'm so sorry…."

She gently placed a kiss on the forehead of the helmet and Lazurus smiled and rubbed the top of her head, standing up soon after and coughing again.

"You're a sweet girl Esdia….I'm glad I could help you live but, why come back…?"

"She brought us here, sir."

Tatsumi approached the Warden and stopped a respectable distance away, holding his hands behind his back as he made eye contact. "My name's Tatsumi, and we're from the New Republic across the ocean, my friends and I."

"Ah...so you're from there...I already know why you're here. Before we continue, follow me to my office...there we can talk."

He motioned for them to follow and with aa glance back Mine and FIrenze rejoined his side as the three with Najenda, Leone, Wave and Kurome followed them and Esdia as Lazarus took them through the doors he had walked through. They ascended the stairs hidden behind them and came to another door, which he opened and led them out into the first of the massive chambers that comprised the Megalith.

Adorning the walls of the first floor of the tower on all sides were homes akin to the dwellings of some mountainside natives, each living space and building built one on top of the other like bricks. Winding stairs and ladders made of stone connected each tier of buildings to one another, and the middle was just as congested as a city built inside of a tower should be, however there were still buildings that had been flattened out.

All that remained were their foundations, and in their place a multitude of cages and been erected to house the criminals of the nation, with armed guards watching over them from several raised towers that looked out over the collection of cages.

What came as an even greater shock to Tatsumi and the newcomers was that as they walked by these cages with Lazarus, they were met with smiles and waves from some, their attitudes more along the lines of actual, normal people.

"Lazarus…? What's going on here? I thought this was a prison...these people look happy to be here…" questioned Najenda under breath after walking up next to the Warden.

"I'll tell you everything once we get behind closed doors…" he murmured back as he took a turn down what used to be a street.

They reached a guarded house that was converted into the Prison's nerve center and they walked inside, the Warden taking them to his office. Once everyone had walked in Kurome closed the door and Lazarus sighed heavily as he stood before his desk and rubbed the back of his neck, the pain eating away at his face hellish and unbearable.

"Now that we're here...I'm sure you've heard tidbits of what's happened here from Esdia…?"

"Yes...she told us that the Consul led a coup against her family and killed them." replied Tatsumi as he crossed his arms, Lazarus nodding his head.

"Yes...and the Consul's name is Maxwell. She's a brilliant mind, so much so that she gave those under her sphere of influence special weapons that enabled them to secure great positions of strength within the new Judecca."

Lazarus walked around his desk and sat down in his chair, coughing roughly, before he raised a handkerchief to the teeth of the mask when blood began to seep out through the tiny gaps between them.

"Excuse me…" he wheezed when another coughing fit overtook him, Mine uncomfortably shifting her feet as more blood splattered onto the fabric of the handkerchief.

He lowered it once he had finally calmed down and sighed heavily, Esdia walking around to his side of the desk to gently hug him out of pity for him.

"Yes...Esdia's grandfather, Karna Masta, and the rest of her family were crucified by Maxwell before the population of Judecca in Zion. I saw it myself...and to make things worse, her speech as their bodies were hung from crosses like trophies produced a thundering applause because she promised change and a powerful new nation."

Najenda tightened her fist and Tatsumi's scowl deepened, Wave and Kurome producing similar reactions to the statement. They wanted to say that sounded just as bad as the late Prime Minister Honest, but there before any statement was made Leone stepped forward with another question.

"What's the reason for all these people here then? To be perfectly honest none of them look like real thugs or villains deserving of a cell."

"That's one of the most vile secrets of this place…most of those people...they don't belong in here at all." revealed Lazarus, the air in the room getting tense. "Over ninety percent of the occupants of this prison not including the guards are just normal people."

"Why…? Were they-"

"Yes." Lazarus calmly stopped Tatsumi's question and with a solemn nod. "They were wrongfully imprisoned here by Maxwell to ensure her rule was unchallenged."

Tatsumi had to turn away and gather himself from the anger bubbling up inside of him, Mine lowering her head so that her bangs could hide her horrifying scowl. Hearing of such an injustice was like a gut punch to them, since they had all experienced such travesties during the age of the old Empire.

"Now that's just like Honest….fucking hell…." snarled Leone as she clenched her fists.

"I take care of them to the best of my abilities, and so do my guards. Unlike the rest of this damned nation...my Prison Guards here we're hand-picked and entirely loyal to me."

"Well...that's good at least." murmured Najenda with a sigh. "Could you tell us all that you know about what's happened here?"

Lazarus nod his head and cleared his throat again before he told them all the full story of the coup, the public execution of Esdia's family, and his punishment for helping the young Princess escape from her home.

After talking for so long with gruesome detail he has to excuse himself again when another coughing fit overtook him, his blood seeping through the gaps of his helmet before it was wiped away. Esdia watched uncomfortably as her uncle struggled with the pain of the helmet and his damaged lungs, but once he was done he fixed his gaze on her and gently touched her hand.

"It's okay Esdia, my dear...this is nothing compared to what I would do for you." he assured her with a few gentle pats of his hand on hers.

Kurome smiles a tiny bit, their relationship reminding her of the one she shared with her older sister.

" _That's so nice…_ "

All of a sudden a cold-Metal surface touched her arm and all of the instinctual warning sirens she developed as an assassin went off, and with a whirl, eyes wide open, she prepared to fend off the unseen opponent behind her.

What she saw was a young girl shorter then Kurome, being around 4'10", with bright red hair, orange and red eyes, and a dark purple hooded leotard with armored boots and vambraces. She calmed looked up at Kurome with an almost emotionless stare, her hand slowly dropping from her arm.

"...Excuse me."

" _W-What….What the….I didn't sense her at all…._ " thought Kurome as she hesitated alight, but moved aside for the young girl to walk up to Lazarus.

" _When did she get in here…?_ " thought Najenda after watching Kurome's reaction to the young girl, a quick glance to the door telling her that she must have somehow slipped in without being detected at all.

"Oh, hello Yūki. How was your walk?" asked Lazarus warmly as he hoisted her up into his lap and rubbed the top of her head after she pulled her hood down.

"It was fine Papa…"

"Papa?" asked Firenze.

"It's my Uncle's daughter, Yūki." said Esdia with a smile, the young girl merely nodding her head.

"Yes...she's my only daughter, and with Esdia they're my most precious treasures in the world…" He gently ran a hand through Yūki's hair before he began to cough again.

"She's certainly a unique one." remarked Najenda with a smile, the young girl eyeing her for a moment then hopping off Lazarus' lap to approach her.

"You knew the Red Eye Killer, right?" she asked innocently with a blank expression, Najenda's eyes widening slightly while Kurome stiffened Up.

"Red Eye Killer…?"

"Mhm...she looks like her." she pointed to Kurome without even looking at her.

"Yes...I do know her. Why do you ask?" questioned Najenda, the young girl looking up at her for a few moments before a large cleaver sword seemingly appeared in her hand, the razor-sharp edge mere inches away from the wide of Najenda's cheek.

"I want to fight her. To prove that I'm stronger then her." she said with dead serious tone, Lazarus sighing a little bit.

"Where did that-"

"That sword was resting in the corner of the room...and there's something I haven't told you yet about Yūki." stated Lazarus, the veteran assassins glancing at him. "Yūki here...she, like a few others here in this prison, used to be human test subjects for the former Consul turned Holy Empress."

Kurome had to bite her tongue in order to keep quiet when she was reminded of the same tragic childhood she shared with her sister. Wave sensed her discontent and gently slipped a hand into hers to comfort her, Kurome blushing ever-so-slightly and smiling a little.

"Human test subject…? For what purpose?" asked Mine.

"To test the capabilities of weapons created by Maxwell herself. Called "Arma"...they're built on the same principles as your country's Teigu are." explained Lazarus, Najenda's eyes widening considerably in shock.

"Just like the Teigu? Weapons?"

"You have got to be shitting me, there's no way that another country could mimic Teigu and their construction. They were made over a thousand years ago by the First Emperor!" exclaimed Leone in disbelief.

"Maxwell possesses an ingenious and sinister mind...she's had a multitude of spies sent to the Empire from the Inquisitorial to bring over information from your country." he pointed to the helmet he was wearing. "My helmet is an Arma named Tartarus, and Yūki has one of the experimental models...her eyes."

Najenda glanced back down again at Yūki's unblinking eyes and she got an uneasy feeling from their unique appearance, the edge of her large sword moving away from her cheek as she withdrew it.

"They're called God's Eyes, and they allow her to see in vectors. Basically, she can walk where people aren't looking, in their blind spots, and appear invisible to everyone around her. Her small stature only adds to this remarkable ability...she could walk through a packed crowd without even being noticed."

" _So that's why she was able to sneak in here without being seen...but...shouldn't I have been able to sense her presence?_ " thought Kurome as Lazarus cleared his throat.

"The reason why she was given this Arma was so that she could become Maxwell's invisible hand...an assassin like you were in your country."

He held out an arm and after Yūki had put the sword back in its proper place she went to his side and he brought her up into his lap again, the girl still staring at Najenda.

"How...was she trained…?" asked Kurome in a small voice, the Warden glancing at her.

"That I do not know, I apologize. Once she was trained however, Maxwell lost interest in her and would have discarded her, but I saved her and adopted her. I've been trying to restore some parts of her former personality, but...it's a arduous task."

No other questions were asked for several long minutes, the two parties looking at one another before Lazarus cleared his throat with a painful cough and set Yūki down on her feet next to him.

"That's enough of that...you can explore the tower if you'd like. When night falls come back here and I'll have Yūki show you to one of the vacant homes not being used so you can rest there."

Najenda nod her head and with a quick glance to the others they left his office to carry out their own business.


	13. The Creator

A/N Hello everyone welcome back to the story. It's slowly getting closer and closer to summer break, just over a month or so, and then I can have all the free time I want to write and draw! Haha. Anyways...hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Leave a fav and review.

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 **Chapter 12 - The Creator**

 **\- Southern Sea -**

Akame took a sip of water from her canteen and wiped the stray droplets from her lips, sighing afterwards as she set it down and looked out onto the wide open ocean. It was nearing almost one year out at sea, and she was thankful for the special device that could purify salt water to drinking water and for the Rongo Rongo, the Teigu book she had taken before leaving the New Republic.

Since it was filled with all sorts of maps from around the worlds she had been able to locate certain islands ripe with food, and with her skills she could maintain her proper health and survive on her extended journey. Her boat was stocked with plenty of supplies, both food and water, and the simple living quarters had provided her enough comfort to help cope with being out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but sea water.

Meditation and training were her methods of staying sane, and she was lucky to not suffer hallucinations for one unfortunate reason.

She gently ran a hand up and down her right arm, wincing at the constant pain that arose from her very own body and the blood that flowed through it. On the skin she showed, the faded scars left behind by her usage of Murasame's Trump Card still resonated with its vile aura, and the poison from the blade still flowed through her blood with each passing second. She had taken the risk and thrown away her humanity to gain the necessary power to fight toe-to-toe with Esdeath three years prior, and as a result of taking in the One-Cut Killer's poison, there wasn't a single day that went by without her suffering.

" _It's just another day…_ " she thought to herself as she slowly walked away from the railing toward the boat's central mast.

A gentle sea breeze blew through her long black hair, which had grown considerably over the three years since her fight to the death with Esdeath. Ironically, like the ice queen, Akame's hair had grown to reach down to her ankles and she had matured a great deal in all aspects. She had grown wiser mentally, physically, aside from her hair she was faster and stronger, and easily a total master of Murasame.

And in the looks department...she was beautiful, in every sense of the word. While wearing a similar and bigger sized outfit like the one she wore three years prior, her tits had grown from D-cups to E's, and overall her body figure had become like that of Esdeath's.

" _I can deal with this pain...this is nothing compared to what I've been through…_ " she told herself like she always does as she adjusted the sails.

All of a sudden she gasped and she collapsed to her knees, a horrible coughing fit overtaking her from out of nowhere. She gripped her clothes above her heart, her throat constricting in such a way that it felt like someone was strangling her and making it hard to breath. She gasped and coughed again, this time copious amounts of blood splattering onto the wooden deck and dripping down her chin.

"D-Dammit…"

She hunched over and collapsed onto all fours when the coughing got even worse, her body writhing in pain when the burning sensation from the scars increased and the poison in her ravaged her insides.

It took a total of seven minutes for the torture to finally subside, and Akame was left twitching and moaning in agony on her side, one arm wrapped around her gut and the other covering her bloodied mouth. It took another three minutes for her to recover somewhat from the barrage, but eventually she was able to slowly climb back up onto her feet and wipe away the blood from her chin with her arm, her gaze down at the Large puddle of blood she had coughed up.

Instead of being the usual, somewhat bright, somewhat dark, and shiny red color like it should have been, what she had just coughed up was a dark, muddied blackish red liquid that resembled black tar more then anything.

"It's gotten worse...dammit…" she murmured under her breath as she wiped the blood off her arm with a towel and sighed.

She could remember that time like it was just yesterday, the day before she departed from the New Kingdom with Rongo Rongo. The Doctor who had inherited the Teigu used by the late Dr. Stylish of the Jaegers had done a medical examination of her, and she had learned a startling truth that was the driving force behind her departure.

 **\- One Year Earlier -**

"Huh? What did you just say?" questioned Akame, blinking several times.

The Doctor cleared his throat and removed Perfector, the gloves being put on a table beside him in the white inspection room, before he crossed one leg over the other and looked at her dead in the eyes.

"You're dying, Akame." he said coldly. "Murasame's poison is slowly killing you."

"But...there's no cure for it…"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." said the Doctor as he cleared his throat. "You see, there is no _known_ cure for it. Do you understand where I'm coming from?

Akame sat there for a few moments before she slowly realized what he meant. It was true that Murasame's poison had no known cure, but therein was a secret key that could be her saving grace.

"I have to find the place where it was made...where Murasame and its poison originated from…"

"And there could be your cure. I suggest the Rongo Rongo…"

 **\- Present Day -**

" _And here I've been...searching the seas for the supposed birth place of Murasame and its poison…_ " she thought to herself once the sails had been adjusted.

With them taken care of she walked below deck and slowly went to the small living compartment to retrieve a bottle of pills the Doctor had given to her before she left. With some water she downed a single pill and shivered as the fast-acting painkiller got to work, the pain she was experiencing from Murasame's poison dulling to an ache. She grunted as she climbed the stairs back up to the deck and heaved a heavy sigh as the wind picked up a little bit, the sea air filling her nostrils with its salty smell.

A distant rumble then hit her eardrums and she turned around, her expression turning grim when she saw a wall of dark storm clouds rolling toward her. As fast as she could she prepared the vessel for when the storm would hit her, folding in the sails so that they weren't damaged, locking down and securing any loose objects, on and below deck, and finally pulling on her trench coat to protect her somewhat for the rain she knew was coming.

"At a time like this….dammit…" she cursed under her breath when the wind picked up more, the sea getting choppier and more violent with each passing second.

She quickly ran to the helm of the moderately sized boat and grabbed a hold of the wheel to keep it steady as the storm got closer and closer, the lightning going wild inside of the clouds like some crazy light show.

Thankfully she had prepared when she did because in a matter of moments the storm was upon her, furiously battering her vessel with fierce winds and raging waves that slammed into the reinforced hull. Akame's knuckles turned white as she kept a hold on the wheel for dear life, the rain coming down in droves and quickly soaking her hair and her trench coat while reducing visibility down to practically zero.

It was if the sun had been snuffed out by the storm, the only source of illumination Akame could get the flashes of lightning. These were the eyes of the storm, the wind its breath, the waves its arms and legs, and the deafening thunder its mighty roar that shook Akame and her boat to their cores. She was battling against no mere storm, this was a monster in of itself, a beast threatening to swallow her whole and leave nothing behind.

A huge wave and gust of wind slammed into the left side of Akame's boat and she braced herself to prevent the wheel from slipping from her grasp, the boat creaking in response.

Another wave struck the right side of the boat and she stumbled a little, the thunder roaring again over her head as if it were announcing a small victory over the former Assassin. She grit her teeth as she and her boat rolled over a swell of water, the spray from the bow striking the ocean water afterwards blinding her for a fraction of a second.

Everything turned while when lightning flashed around her, and at that moment dread filled her very soul when the lightning revealed her boat was heading right for a massive swell of water that towered over her. Water began to topple over the peak of the wave, the foam reminiscent of the teeth of a monster's gaping maw as it was about to swallow its prey whole.

Akame closed her eyes tightly as the wave crashed down onto her boat and pulled it under water, the entire world turning black in an instant. She felt her hands slip away from the wheel and Akame's survival instincts kicked into overdrive, her eyes going toward the surface as she swam as fast and hard as she could.

She gasped when her head broke through the surface and only had enough time to refill her lungs with air before another wave fell onto her and pushed her back under the water. When she got herself righted she swam to the surface yet again and struggled frantically to keep herself afloat in the raging sea.

Akame managed to find a large piece of wood from her boat and laid her upper body on it, using it to support herself as she rode out the waves thrashing in the storm all around her. The wind howled and when she turned her head a stray piece from her boat was brought through the water of the next wave to hit her and struck her upside the head, a gasp escaping her lips before she collapsed onto the wooden board she was on.

" _So...this is how it ends….swept away in a storm...with no hope of a funeral..._ " she thought to herself as her vision started to fade to black. " _How fitting..._ "

 **\- … -**

The sun shined down brightly onto a sparkling white beach of a tropical island, the scene practically a picturesque environment found only in paradise or on one of those "Wish you were Here!" postcards. It was marred only by the field of debri that littered the beach near the water's edge, the waves washing up piece after piece of wood that got stuck in the wet sand.

In the center of the beach covered slightly with seaweed, wet sand, and grasping tightly onto a large plank of wood was a comatose Akame, blood dripping from a deep cut in the side of her head.

The water brushed past her body and tickled her nose and lips before it withdrew down the wet sandy beach, Akame's eyebrows twitching. A grunt came from her when she started to stir and eventually heer eyes slowly began to open, her hands unlatching themselves from the plank of wood to push into the wet sand and support herself as she got up.

"O-Ow…." she whimpered as she sat up and touched the cut in the side of her head, the hair surrounding it wet with sea water and blood.

" **Where am I…?** " she pondered while taking in her surroundings, the sunlight making it a little hard to see.

She grunted as she stood up and began the slow process of examining the beach for any salvageable supplies. It wasn't looking good for her until another wave brought in the next round of debris and she found Murasame in a grouping of wooden fragments, the sheath draped with some strands of seaweed. She picked up the sheathed katana and cleaned it off, hung it from her waist, then continued searching around some more until eventually she came up empty handed.

"Not even the painkillers I had got washed up…and Rongo Rongo must have gotten destroyed….which means if this island is uninhabited….I'm out of luck…"

Before she could figure out her next move the palm trees and tall grass bordering the beach rustled and her trained sixth sense screamed at her. Akame whirled around and instantly men wearing uniquely crafted oriental armor and wielding katanas leaped from the foliage, surrounding her in the blink of an eye.

To make it worse the wound in her head was making her vision blurry, and coupled with the pain from Murasame's poison and her scars, she wobbled a bit and grunted in the face of danger. She looked around from one assailant to the other and grit her teeth as she grasped Murasame and pulled the sword from its sheath, the demon blade unleashing an ominous aura that manifested physically in dark purple, almost black, smoke-like energy that wafted off the blade into the air.

"She has it...the cursed blade…"

The men started to whisper and murmur to themselves as they eyed Akame closely, the former assassin keeping Murasame in the air in case she was approached. To her disbelief, however, the men slowly lowered their blades and sheathed them in the presence of the vile katana.

"You...that sword you possess is the Murasame, correct?" asked one of the men with a hard stare at Akame.

"Yes...why…?" she replied whilst struggling to maintain her composure.

"Look sir, she possesses the scars...she used its curse…"

"The Little War Horn...hmm…" murmured the first man again, Akame's vision getting more and more hazy with each passing second.

" _N-No...not now…_ " she thought in defial as her body felt extremely heavy. " _Don't...fall….unconscious…_ "

Her eyes rolled upward and she collapsed onto the sand, Murasame staying in her grasp when she passed out from pain. The last thing she registered before everything faded to black was the men approaching her, and the one who had spoken first saying a single sentence.

"Let's take her."

 **\- … -**

An unknown amount of time had passed since Akame had washed up on the shores of the unknown beach and fallen unconscious. Her eyebrows twitched slightly and a groan came from her pursed lips as she started to wake up, her senses working to identify her surroundings before she fully woke up.

She could feel she was on a bed of sorts with relatively comfortable sheets, and she could smell a sweet little aroma coupled with something burning, smoke, most likely a scented candle or candles. Eventually she opened her eyes and found herself resting in a simple bed in a moderately sized room, a window to her left with bamboo shutters that allowed some sunlight to shine in between the gaps onto the rug-covered floor.

Akame winced when she moved one of her arms and recognized the feeling of the scar tissue and Murasame's poison biting at her, and upon bringing a hand to her head she felt that her wound had been treated and covered with bandages.

" _What the….did those men…_ " she started to think as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

She wobbled and had to wait for a few seconds for her balance to stabilize, and the room to stop spinning, before she settled and looked around at her surroundings.

" _Thank god…_ " she thought out of relief when she spotted Murasame resting in its sheath in a corner of the room.

When she went over to the sword to pick it up and examine it the doorknob jiggled and the door swung open, Akame jumping and whirling around, expecting an attack.

"Easy, easy….you're not in danger." spoke a man wearing a medical face mask over his mouth and simple black pants and bandages over his entire upper body.

"Who are you…?" questioned Akame, her hand hovering inches away from Murasame.

"I'll answer any questions you have, but first, I suggest you sit down and rest. Murasame's poison must be taking a great toll on your body."

Akame's eyes widened a tiny bit as she stared at the man for a few moments before she begrudgingly walked away from Murasame and sat back down on the bed. The man pulled up a chair and sat across from her, resting his hands in his lap and crossing one leg over the other like it was a job interview.

"May I start now…?" asked Akame.

"Be my guest...ask away." he replied in a calm voice.

"First question, who are you?"

The man chuckled a little. "You may call me Nemo."

" _Nemo...nobody…_ " thought Akame suspiciously before she pushed that thought aside in favor for the next question of her inquiry.

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"This is an island that has no name, for if it had a name, it would be sought out by those from your lands The people here would rather like to remain alone and without outside contact."

"Why?" demanded Akame in a passive-aggressive tone.

"Because this place is the origin of the curse you have willingly cast upon your own body, and the home of the blade through which it can be transmitted." stated Nemo blankly, Akame's heart skipping a beat.

After almost a year of searching she had finally found the place she had been looking for, the birthplace of Murasame and its lethal poison. She could have jumped for joy if she wanted to, but she held her cold facade and moved her hands to her lap, taking a deep breath.

"So Murasame was forged here? This place was visited by the First Emperor?" she asked of Nemo, the man shaking his head.

"Visited isn't the right word. One of his envoys stumbled upon this place, and by then, Murasame was already made."

"It was?"

Nemo nod his head and leaned forward, uncrossing his legs, until he had his full attention focused on Akame so that she would listen. "Yes, because I was the one who forged it."

This time Akame couldn't maintain her mask of disinterest and she gasped at Nemo's impossible statement. There was no way that this man was over a thousand years old, it was physically impossible for any human to achieve an age like that, yet...for some reason, the way Nemo had said it compelled her to believe him.

"I know it sounds outrageous, but it is the truth. The reason why is that I am, in fact...cursed like you." admitted Nemo as he held up his right arm and started to unwrap the bandages.

First his hand was uncovered, revealing his skin to be just as pale as the skin on his face, then the wrist, and it was only when he reached his forearm did Akame believe him. The tape uncovered a series of deep, painful and intricate scars exactly like the ones Akame had on her body.

"As you can see...Murasame's curse runs through my blood and veins as well, but for me it is different because unlike you...I never died from it." admitted Nemo, Akame's grip on her own hand tightening a little.

"What…? How did…"

"These scars that we share, they only appear when the user of Murasame activates its cursed ability, "Little War Horn". For a time the user is relatively okay with the poison in their bloodstream, the only side effects being their body feels heavy with manageable pain. After a couple of years, however, the pain gets worse and worse, the vision gets blurred and it gets harder to breath. The user begins to die a slow, painful death."

Akame bit her inner lip and rubbed her hands together nervously, the symptoms exactly what she was experiencing on a daily basis. This Nemo really did have knowledge of Murasame's inner workings and the poison, but it didn't give her an answer as to how he could have lived for over a thousand years.

"So...what about you…? How could you possibly still be alive…?" she asked, Nemo chuckling slightly.

"Allow me to ask you something…from where do you think your blade's poison originated from?" he asked, skirting around her question with another to delay his answer.

"I don't know...the first thing that comes to mind is it comes from a Danger Beast."

"In other cases, yes, you would be correct. But Murasame's poison is different...it is the result of magic and alchemy, a vile concoction with an actual state of being...

"State of being…?" questioned Akame.

"What is it that you desire…?"

Akame gasped when the question rung a bell in a back of her head, triggering an old memory she had purposefully forgotten. It was during her fight against Esdeath, when she had used Murasame's Trump Card, when she had felt a darker, more malicious presence in her conscious.

"...I...remember….I remember someone asking me that…"

"That was the poison...the poison, you see, is alive...the Murasame is its body, and I was the one who created it. The sword itself is nothing special...it was but a simple sword before Murasame, the poison _itself_ infused itself into the blade." explained Nemo as he adjusted his position. "What exactly did you ask of it…?"

"It...I asked for power...to fight a dangerous opponent…"

Nemo nod his head like he had been expecting that response. "And so it granted you that. It's ability, dubbed "Little War Horn" grants whatever the user asks of Murasame for the price of the user's humanity...their very own life."

"You still haven't told me why you've lived for over a thousand years!" she demanded of him, Nemo remaining calm and collected while he cleared his throat.

"It's quite simple. Murasame was a part of me...it is my very own blood, mixed with my bloodlust, alchemy and a dark, unspoken magic. The truth is that I'm a hybrid of man and Danger Beast, and the reason why I must keep my mouth covered is that I constantly breath out toxic fumes as a result of my poisonous blood."

Akame leaned back away from Nemo with wide eyes when she heard the explanation behind the face mask, but he waved his hand in a non-threatening way to reassure her that she wasn't in any danger. She relaxed a little but still kept herself on guard around the man since she had no idea how much of a threat he could really be, and if he was hiding some ulterior motive.

"And so...the reason why you've lived for this long...is because of your heritage…?"

"That is correct." replied Nemo with an affirmative nod. "Although, I have started to get weaker, so it seems that I'm starting to near the end of my life lifespan...which is welcome to me, personally."

"You...want to die?" asked Akame in a little of a surprised tone of voice, Nemo nodding.

"Having a long life can bring some good things, but for me...I've had to watch the suffering of so many others and suffer myself knowing that I will still be here while those that I've known will pass away before I do."

Silence took control of the air in the room and hung heavy over the two of them, Nemo's eyes dropping to his hands for a few moments before he cleared his throat and looked back at Akame.

"Does that answer your questions, Akame?"

She nod her head a few times before she quickly shook it and leaned forward a little. "Is there a way to cure me…? To get rid of the poison…?" she asked, this question the most important one of them all.

"Ah...yes...I was waiting for you to ask that." murmured Nemo as he scratched his nose. "The answer is…yes, there is a way."


	14. Inner Demons

A/N An update about the character pictures and stuff...to make it easier on myself, I'm going to wait until the end of this story to post them all to that private Discord server I talked about.

Leave a favorite and review please!

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - Inner Demons**

"There's a cure…? Please, may I have it?" asked Akame eagerly, Nemo raising a hand to stop her from asking further.

"The cure cannot be so easily given...it's not even a liquid vial or some pill that can be ingested to make the pain go away. It involves a ritual...one that if you are not careful...you will die."

Akame's skin lost some color to it at the gravity of the situation she was in, the feeling akin to being trapped between a rock and a hard place. She was already dying from the poison, but the cure to relieve her of it had a chance of killing her as well.

"Knowing this...do you still wish to proceed…? As you are now...I'd suspect you have only a couple of months left to live." stated Nemo blankly.

Akame fidgeted with her hands for few moments and gulped before she looked Nemo straight in the eyes, swallowed her fears and doubts, and nod her head confidently in her decision. Nemo held his gaze before he stood up and pointed to Murasame then to the door.

"Bring Murasame with you, we'll need it. Follow me."

He turned around and with fresh tape that he pulled from a pocket he wrapped up his hand, Akame carefully getting up off the bed and going over to her sword to retrieve it. She pulled a cloak off a hanger to hide her body, since her clothes had been replaced with a meager shirt and she was left with just her panties on.

When she was ready she slowly followed Nemo out of the room into the hallway, the older man taking his time to allow her to keep up, and took her through the bamboo house toward the exit. He opened the door for her and she walked out onto soft grass, the sun beaming down on her and momentarily blinding her after being inside and unconscious for an unknown amount of time.

"Must be after noon…" she murmured after looking up toward the sky to judge the sun's position.

When her eyesight adjusted itself again she looked around at the small clearing occupied by several copies of the bamboo house she was just in, their simple designs allowing for a quick construction but still have a high functionality.

"This way, Miss Akame." called out Nemo, having walked a few feet away from her while she had been busy lost in her surroundings.

She followed him again and kept her head low when she felt the watchful eyes of the denizens of the small village on her. They knew she didn't belong, and were rightfully wary of her especially since she carried Murasame out in the open.

Nemo took her past a small hut on the outskirts of the village and up a set of stone stairs that led to a temple of sorts built atop the mount. He approached the dry-rotted doors and grunted a little as he forced them open, a musty, ancient smell drifting out from inside and causing Akame to scrunch her nose up.

"What is this place…?" she asked Nemo as she followed him inside, the interior barely lit up by sunlight coming in through the cracks between the boarded up windows.

"This place has been here ever since civilization first came to this island…it's older then even I." explained Nemo after he closed the doors again. "It's original purpose is unknown, but this temple...this was where Murasame was conceived."

Nemo walked toward the center of the room and bent over, his fingers wrapping around an old, rotting rug, then pulled it away to unleash a cloud of dust into the air. Akame coughed and waved her hand in front of her face to disperse the dust until it was finally gone and she looked down at what Nemo had uncovered. Scrawled onto the ground in ancient red paint were two concentric circles with strange symbols marked along their circumferences, and in the center an ominous pentagram.

"What the….ive never seen markings like these…"

"It turns out this place was a frequent visit by practitioners of dark, forbidden magic….and me being in my youth...I was curious."

Nemo wiped his hands off and looked at the circle with a cold hard gaze, Akame kneeling down next to it and running a hand along he faded paint.

"Somehow, someway...I woke up whatever spirit or presence that had been residing in that magic circle, but it went into my sword and transformed it into the Murasame known today...the One-Cut Killer."

"So...what needs to happen…? The ritual…?" she asked with a look back at Nemo.

"First things first...take off that cloak."

Akame followed his instruction, the cloak slipping off her body as she stood up. She kicked it off to the side and stood waiting for the next thing with Murasame in her grasp.

"Give me Murasame...and then lay down in the center of the circle…"

She did just that and kept a close eye on Nemo as she lowered herself down onto her back in the center of the pentagram. Nemo walked around the circle and stood next to her as he slowly unsheathed Murasame and held the blade with both hands, the sword shining somewhat from sunlight. Nemo held the blade close to hiss mouth and whispered something unintelligible to Murasame, and almost instantly the cold metal was covered with the familiar dark, shadowy aura it got its dark reputation for being a demonic sword.

"Once the ritual begins...you'll be in a place no other human can ever hope to reach, a separate plane outside of our own. It is a very dangerous place...if you are harmed there, your body here will be harmed as well. So, I'm sure you can guess...if you die…"

"I die here...correct?" said Akame to finish his statement, Nemo nodding his head solemnly.

Akame felt a chill run up and down her spine before she took a deep breath and relaxed her body. "Alright...do it."

"Be careful, Miss Akame."

Nemo lifted the sword above his head, blade pointed down, and with a swift drop he plunged the blade through her gut and made her gasp. A bright flash of white light occupied her vision for a fraction of a second before she gasped again as if she were waking up from a dream.

She looked around and found herself alone in the temple laying down in the same position she was in. She slowly stood up and took a few steps away from the circle, trying to find any noticeable differences in the environment or atmosphere before she started to feel exceptionally cold.

Akame turned around and stumbled back a little when she saw herself laying down on the ground with Murasame's blade, which appeared as a dark purple shadow, protruding from her gut and connected to the hand of a featureless shadow figure she assumed was Nemo.

"W-What the…" she murmured as she looked down at her hands and saw almost right through them at the ground, her skin translucent to an extent.

She was like a ghost, existing outside of her body. Every step she took there was not a single sound that reached her eardrums, yet somehow there always seemed to be the ever-present whisper of a soft voice or wind in the air all around her.

" _Can you hear me, Akame?_ "

" _That's Nemo's voice…_ " she thought as she looked at the shadow figure.

" _I'm sure you can...where you are right now is a plane of existence created by your body, forged from your memories, enabled by the poison's curse...your Mindscape, in a sense. What you need to do is take Murasame and find the source, the root of the curse in your body, and you have to destroy it. Kill the source, and you kill the curse afflicting you._ "

Akame nod her head as she listened to Nemo, who she knew must be talking out loud in the real world. She looked at Murasame and approached it, her hand phasing through Nemo's shadowy hands to grasp the hilt, then pulled it out from herself. The purple mist it was comprised of solidified into a dark version of the sword and she smiled a little bit at the familiar feel it gave her.

" _The curse will undoubtedly try to stop you...it will create obstacles. You must dispose of them. Good luck._ "

"Alright…" she murmured back before Nemo's voice faded away into an echo, the soft whispering returning once more.

Akame walked toward the temple doors and pushed them open, the wooden doors making n sound as they did. When she walked out Akame's eyes widened when she found herself in the Imperial Capital, having traveled thousands of miles in the blink of an eye.

She turned back around and she saw only the street behind her, the temple a mere figment of her imagination now. The sky was a dark, dull yellowish color and the sun was pitch black, emitting no light whatsoever.

" _I guess I need to start searching then…_ " she told herself mentally when she began to walk forward down the empty streets.

It was easy to navigate the Imperial Capital since she had lived there her whole life, and she could guess that considering she was relocated to the city that the source of the curse could only reside in the heart...the Imperial Palace. She reached the end of the street and she froze when the scenery became that of ruins located outside of the city, a place where its citizens dared not go.

" _This place...I…_ "

"Yo, Big Sis!"

Akame's heart skipped a beat when she turned around and saw her little sister sitting on top of some slabs of stone, looking off to the side. Akame felt herself clothed in her outfit and trench coat, but what shocked her the most was Kurome herself. She could see her body, she could see her hair, her jacket, her clothes...but her face, for whatever reason...it didn't exist.

Everything about her was the same, except her face was literally nothing...nonexistent, a black shadow with no discernible features whatsoever. She wanted to turn away but she couldn't, her gaze was locked on what her mind was telling her was her little sister, Kurome.

"So...it's just us…right?"

" _No...Tatsumi and Leone are watching me right now…_ "

She knew she had said that, felt the words roll off of her tongue, since this was her memory and knew it was true. But her eye widened when her voice came back to her again, the words she spoke not even close.

"Yes...it's just us, Kurome. We're alone."

" _What? I didn't say that-_ "

"I see, good~"

Kurome hopped off the slab and held her hands behind her back, her "face" looking directly at Akame the entire time. The faint whispers she had heard earlier, which had disappeared a short while after she had arrived at the Imperial Capital, returned, but they were darker and more menacing and sent chills running up and down Akame's spine.

"Big Sis…?"

"Yes…?"

"I want to die."

Akame gasped when the scene changed almost instantly to her on her knees with rain drizzling around her, Kurome in her arms with Murasame buried deep in her gut. Blood was dripping down her chin and Akame's eyes widened at how real she felt, the warmth slowly leaving Kurome's body as the vicious poison of Murasame took hold of her body.

"N-No no no, Kurome, don't die on me, ple-"

"W-Why...Big Sis…? Don't you….want me dead…?" asked Kurome in a weak voice, Akame's eyes tearing up when her little sister's face finally became visible.

She was smiling at her as tears ran down her cheeks and blood covered her chin as the markings of Murasame's curse spread along her skin.

"W-What?"

"Just let me go Sis….let go of everything…..just let death embrace you...it's quite...warm..."

Her body then turned to ash and the world started to collapse around her Akame gripping her head and screaming out as loud as she could. She clamped her eyes shut and the whispering got louder and louder until it all went silent.

Akame slowly opened her eyes and found once again she was in the empty Imperial Capital streets, not a single thing making a sound, not even a mouse. She climbed up to her feet and felt her cheeks were free of any tears she had shed, and the sky had grown a little bit darker in hue.

" _It was just an illusion….it wasn't real…_ " she told herself as she shook her head a little. " _You didn't kill Kurome...she's still alive._ "

She continued to walk down the empty street surrounded by unoccupied buildings. Having grown up in the Imperial Capital, seeing it so quiet was especially unnerving to her since there was never a time when the streets were this devoid of life. Thankfully that experience or vision, whatever it was, had managed to put her closer to the Imperial Capital, so from there it was easy for her to arrive at the front gates of the protective wall around it and get past them.

The grounds were the same just as she had remembered them the last time she had been there, and she couldn't help but smile a little at the feeling of being at her home.

" _I wonder how everyone is doing…I hope they're okay…_ "

No terrifying visions or hallucinations came to attack her as she made her way through the Imperial Palace, passing by familiar sights on her way to the Throne Room where she deduced the source of the curse afflicting her body would be residing.

Akame let out a sigh of relief when she reached the throne room doors without encountering any other obstacles and she took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves before she pushed them inward. She walked in and instantly all of that preparation went out the window when her very soul was struck with a horrifying sight that laid within past the doors.

All around her were the bodies of countless shadow figures, ropes or chains tied around their throats hanging from the pitch black roof keeping their dangling feet from touching the ground. Each and every one of them swayed slightly back and forth, and each one had a unique mark located just above their hearts that was all too familiar to Akame.

"...Recognize them…. **Akame** …?"

Akame's heart skipped a beat when her eyes fell onto a shadow that sat on the throne with its legs crossed, a few bodies dangling next to it.

"...These are the people….the **men, women, and children….that you killed…** "

Akame started to feel like someone was choking her when it started to get harder to breath, her vision getting blurrier and the pain from her scars becoming all too real for her. A pair of eyes appeared on the shadow in the throne and watched closely as Akame fell to her knees, her hands grappling to her throat.

"Do you **feel it** …? The noose around your neck…? The feeling of knowing that you've caused the suffering of so many…? Knowing how **good it felt…?** "

Akame couldn't respond when she started to choke more and more, sounds of discomfort and pain arising from her pursed lips as she cried and struggled.

"S-Shut…..up…."

"You know who I am...I'm a mere **fragment of the being that resides in Murasame**...the dark presence that curses anyone cut with the blade….you want to kill me…. **right?** "

The shadow stood up from the throne and began to slowly walk down the steps leading to the golden chair, the walls of the throne room getting blown away into rubble with each step. Eventually the entire palace was reduced to rubble when it reached the bottom, the bodies now hanging by threads that stretched down from the pitch black sky like gruesome ornaments or trophies.

"Why do that… **when you can make a bargain with me** ….give me your body….and we can keep on killing forever…"

The figure held out its hand toward Akame, who grunted and stared down the shadow with a pained expression on her face.

"N-No….I….won't….I...w-will...not…"

The shadow appeared disgruntled as it swept its arm to the side and Akame gasped when the choking sensation went away, allowing her to take deep breaths of air down her gullet into her lungs. She coughed a few times before she wiped away saliva and slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on the shadow figure as it held its arms behind its back.

"I'm not giving you….anything…." she said as she brought up Murasame, pointing the blade at the shadow. "I'm going to bury you."

The shadow laughed at her as it lowered its arms back to its side and stared at her with its unblinking eyes.

"I'd like to see you try...and to make it more enjoyable...let's **see you try to kill something you never could…** "

Akame slowly felt despair creep up her spine when the shadow's body morphed and changed into that of the scariest and most powerful opponent she had ever faced in her life, the white uniform, the blue eyes and blue hair, and the devilish grin that had come to haunt her.

It was the Esdeath, in the flesh, standing before her now as the last obstacle in the way of being cured of her illness. It took her a moment to finally realize that the landscape around them was just like when she had fought the Ice Queen herself three years ago, in the ruins of the Imperial Capital where her death meant the end of the revolution.

The only difference between this Esdeath and the real one were that her sclera were pitch black and like Akame when she had used Murasame's Trump Card, there were intricate symbols and markings across her skin.

"Come on Akame… **kill me** ~"

Akame snarled as she gripped Murasame tightly and rushed the fake Esdeath, the general laughing as she drew a black rapier from an invisible sheath and met her halfway. Their swords clanged against one another and produced a shockwave that shook the very ground they stood on, Akame wincing in pain when she felt her heart tighten up.

" _W-What the….how…._ "

" **Ooooh….seems you're starting to realize it…** ~. If we were to compare this realm to your body, I'd say...we're in your heart right now…..better be careful, sweetie...you might just **kill yourself…** "

The fake Esdeath then laughed psychotically as it started to hammer away at Akame with powerful strikes with the blade that pushed her back step by step. Each blow was like she was getting stabbed physically in the real world, and she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker each time she had to use Murasame to save her own life from sudden death.

" _T-This...is nothing….to what you've been through….no amount of pain….is enough to stop me!_ "

She growled and when the fake Esdeath went down for another overhead slash Akame slid to the right and snuck in a jab at her gut, catching the left side of her waist and producing a deep gash.

"N-No!"

She snarled as she backhanded Akame away, the girl rolling across the ground several times over until she came to a stop and coughed out blood. She shivered and slowly brought herself to her knees, her bangs hiding her eyes from the fake Esdeath's view.

"You see...you can try to scare me all you want...even taking on the form of _her_...but this is nothing…" she brought her head up and stared down the fake Esdeath with a smile. "You aren't Esdeath...you're nowhere close to her….and this is just another obstacle in my way…"

Akame raised herself up to her feet and glared at the fake Esdeath, who lost her grin and fumed at her rival and her unwavering determination and will.

"You asked me "What is it that you desire…?"...well, what I desire...is to keep living my life and be with my friends!"

For the first time in her life the pain in her scars went away and she rushed the fake Esdeath, catching her off guard and attacking her viciously with Murasame to the point she couldn't even fight back. The blade cut through skin like butter as she kept hack, hack, hacking away until Akame had reduced her greatest foe to a little less then nothing.

In a pile of black sludge at her feet, a beating heart rested, slowly beating with the lethal poison just barely holding onto it. With a steady breath she reached down and pulled the heart free of the sludge, the curse dissipating into black smoke that drifted away into nothingness, defeated.

Instantly Akame gasped when she woke up in the real world with Nemo still standing next to her, Murasame back in its sheath and at his side.

"I see your endeavors were successful...Miss Akame."

Akame looked over herself, squeezed her hands a few times, and felt small trickles of blood on her chin that she quickly wiped away. What captivated her that as she moved her limbs, even in the tiniest ways possible, there was no stiffness, ache, or even pain that plagued her body.

The scars had remained, she expected they would, but no longer did the poison of Murasame flow through her veins. Through some form of magic she still could not quite understand...she had cured herself of its curse.

"I...I don't feel it...the pain…"

"Indeed...you are cured. Welcome back."

Nemo extended his hand down to her and she took it, the man pulling her to her feet and placing Murasame into her hands. She was surprised a little at how quickly he returned the sword to her, and she showed it by her expression.

"It's not my sword any more, it's yours. Just next time, do be careful with it. If you intend to use its Trump Card once more in the future...just know that you will have to go through this ordeal again." he said as he took his hand off of Murasame and pat her on the shoulder.

"Thank you...and I will be careful. I wouldn't even think of using it unless I certainly have to…"

She gave Nemo a soft smile and he chuckled as he took his hand off her shoulder and led her out of the temple back out into the sunlight.

"Come, I'll get you something to eat. And if you'd like, you can join me on a trip to my homeland and from there you can take a boat back to yours."

"I would appreciate that...thank you very much."

With a new outlook on life and just how precious it can be when on the verge of losing it, Akame followed Nemo back into the small tropical village to eat her first meal that wouldn't bring her discomfort.


	15. The Broken Doll

A/N Now that the school year is starting to wind down, I'm able to work on these as well...as well as because I'm not able to do much in Baseball because I hurt my arm...regardless! I will continue to write because I love to do so! Leave a fav and review.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - The Broken Doll**

 **\- The Megalith, Judecca -**

"This place is rather huge...I can't believe that this entire tower used to be occupied by a whole nation's worth of people…" said Mine in awe as she walked hand in hand with Tatsumi on one of the upper floors of the tower.

Since they were free to do so the couple had left the prison floor of the tower to explore on their own, having traversed a couple of the floors and seen many ancient relics and objects that were left behind to collect dust as the years went by.

"Yeah...makes you think of how all of this could have worked…"

"What do you mean, Tatsumi?"

"How it all worked, you know? Was the tower sectioned off into different classes or castes, was there a communication system that connected the upper floors to the lower floors? That kind of stuff." he explained with a smile.

"Oh...now I understand." replied Mine, giving him a smile in return as she squeezed his hand a little. "I wonder how Unryuu is doing with my parents…"

"I'm sure she's fine Mine...she's our daughter, and I'm sure your parents would fight like hell to keep her safe. I mean, look at you, where else could you have gotten that personality?"

"Hey!" she punched his arm, Tatsumi laughing out loud while she blushed.

"You ass...you haven't changed at all…"

"Would you have me any other way?"

Tatsumi glanced down at her with a slight grin and Mine frowned for a short time until she couldn't maintain it any longer and smiled softly back at her husband. She nod her head and pressed her body against him, wrapping her arms around his waist while Tatsumi did the same around her back.

"No...but you're still an idiot…"

"I'm your idiot, Mine." Tatsumi said with a chuckle.

They remained in that position for another few minutes before Mine looked up at Tatsumi with a slight blush and a certain twinkle in her eye only he could understand.

"Really…? Here…? But…"

"I'm sorry, it's just...being alone...with you...I can't help it…" she looked off to the side shyly as her blush intensified.

Tatsumi chuckled and shook his head side to side before he rubbed the top of her head. "Is there any preference…?"

"Somewhere private…"

He nod his head and they broke apart the hug, Tatsumi leading Mine by the hand toward an empty home dwelling. They walked in through the doorway and passed through what they guessed was the living room on their way to a bedroom that was left virtually untouched by the residents.

Tatsumi grinned as he motioned to the dust-covered bed and Mine gave him another frown and a swift punch to the arm shut him up before he could say anything.

"Alright, alright, I was being funny."

He gave her an honest smile and Mine's frowned disappeared as she went up to him and took his hands into hers and walked him toward one of the walls until her back was up against it.

"Take care of me Tatsumi…"

Those five words and several minutes of lip service and taking off clothes later, Mine had her hands pressed against the wall with her ass thrusted backwards while Tatsumi made love to her from behind. She moaned each time his dick slid down past the soft walls of her pussy and tickled the entrance to her womb, her body shivering from the pleasure.

"T-T-Tat...sumi….y-you can...go...harder…."

"Alright…."

He tightened his grip on her hips and started to fuck her harder, his pelvis and her ass making a slapping noise each time they connected. There was no one else there but Tatsumi and his wife, Mine and her husband, and their love for one another.

Tatsumi hunched over her and held her swaying tits with hiss strong hands and burrowed his face into the side of her neck, kissing her soft skin and pleasuring her even more to the point she had an orgasm mid-thrust.

"A-Aaahhh…~. T-Tatsumi….~" she groaned with her tongue hanging out.

"You….want to….switch it….?" he asked through his heavy breathing, Mine vigorously nodding her head.

Tatsumi leaned back a little in order to pull his dick out of her pussy and, with her lewd fluids having lubed up his shaft, there was no trouble in sliding into her puckered asshole for slow, deep anal sex.

"Hyuuuk….hyaaa….s-shit…."

"You're such….a dirty girl….for liking this…." said Tatsumi with a light snicker.

"S-Shut it…it's s-so….I don't get pregnant….you dumbass…" Mine said in an attempt to be reprimanding of him, but the pleasure felt too good for her and she ended up moaning a few times between each grouping of words.

Tatsumi kept up the slow, methodical and passionate thrusts and started to feel the pressure build up in his loins and knew he didn't have very much longer. He picked up the pace a little more to reach his climax faster, Mine groaning right alongside him the whole way through.

Finally it reached the breaking point and with a final grunt Tatsumi pushed deep into her and blew his load, Mine's entire body shivering with ecstasy. When the tank was empty Tatsumi let his body rest on top of Mine's, the two of them breathing heavily with sweat beads dotting their skin after making love.

However, when they both made eye contact with one another it was clear to both of them that they weren't done yet, and with a second wind Tatsumi pulled out of Mine so she could turn around and press her back against the wall. He then hoisted her up off the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist, and began to drill her asshole again with his stiff member.

Mine gripped his shoulders tightly for the first few moments before she had to move them to around his neck and kiss him, just as a way to keep herself from moaning too loudly. Tatsumi's fingers dug into her ass cheeks as he pistoned in and out of her, his previous load of cum dripping out slightly from between the gaps between her fleshy walls and his shaft.

"...F-Fuck it….the...bed...t-the bed….~" groaned Mine after pulling from the kiss, Tatsumi following her wishes by carrying her to the bed.

He fell down onto his back, stirring up some dust, but neither of them cared and they kept going without stopping. Mine straddled Tatsumi's waist and began to ride him enough to make the bed creak each time she went down on his cock, the restraints she had deteriorating completely as shown by her expression morphing into an ahegao.

"Aaaahhh….haaaahh….T-Tatsuuuumi….~" she groaned with her tongue hanging out, saliva trailing down the sides of her chin.

"M-Mine….you're…so beautiful…" he grunted from under her, his cock starting to twitch inside of Mine's throbbing asshole. "I-I'm gonna cum again…"

"D-Do it….~!"

Tatsumi pulled down on Mine's hips so his dick could go as far as it could before he blew his load yet again, his wife squealing as the hot sticky liquid shot up her anal cavity and gave it a thick coating of semen. Her hips shook wildly when the feeling of being cummed into caused her to have an orgasm, her pusssy fluids squirting out.

"...O-Oooh….Aaahh…." breathed Mine after supporting herself on Tatsumi, her body covered in sweat. "Tatsumi…?"

"Yes…?"

Mine blushed as she slowly brought herself up off of Tatsumi's cock and used her fingers to spread open her drenched pussy lips. "...P-Please…?"

"Only if you do me as well…" replied Tatsumi, chuckling.

Mine blushed heavily before she turned herself around until she was straddling Tatsumi's head and she was up close and personal with his dick. Without a second thought she started to lick and suck on the head while she used her hand to gently massage his testicles, Tatsumi bringing Mine's ass down low enough for him to use his tongue on her pussy and lap up her fluids.

"Jeez….I never thought I could be this dirty….where the hell did it all start…" thought Mine when she began to give her husband a blowjob.

Neither of them had to wait long for their significant other to reach their climax, Mine moaning as she came again from her pussy and Tatsumi groaning as he shot semen down her throat. Mine waited until he was finished and for herself to calm down before she pulled up and swallowed the cum in her mouth, shivering as the viscous liquid began its journey down to her stomach.

"Ahh….haaa….holy shit…."

"You can say that again…." murmured Tatsumi. "I think that was the most intense sex we've ever had…"

Mine smiled a tiny bit as she fell onto the bed next to him and curled up slightly, nestling her head into the crook of his neck.

"Call it stress build-up…"

Tatsumi snorted and looked at Mine with a grin, "Really? Is that the only reason?"

"N-No! No it's not!" stammered Mine with a heavy blush. "...I...love you….so….I like….having...sex with you…"

Her voice got progressively lower as she told him why and Tatsumi chuckled again before he wrapped his muscular arms around her in a hug, touching his forehead to hers so he could look her in the eyes.

"I love you Mine…" he said, Mine's embarrassed blush softening alongside her expression into one of shyness.

"...I love you too...idiot…"

He gently kissed the side of her neck and Mine smiled a little as she gave him a kiss back on the lips. They held it for a few more seconds before pulling apart to lay down in each other's arms and rest until their heart beats slowed down.

"Say...Mine…?" asked Tatsumi.

"Yeah, what?"

Tatsumi ran a hand along her thigh as he thought for a moment, then smiled. "When we return home...after this whole mess is over...would you like to give Unryuu a sibling?"

"A-A sibling….?" stuttered Mine while her blush deepened in color. "Are you sure…?"

"Yeah...I am. I want to have another baby with you Mine. I've been thinking, and...I love Unryuu with all of my heart and soul, but...she resulted from that time in the kitchen where you tried your hardest to make me feel better."

Tatsumi laughed a little from the memory and Mine giggled slightly as well, her younger self coming to mind.

"So...I want to try again with you...in the comfort of our own home. I want to make that memory with you, Mine."

"Tatsumi...sheesh, you idiot…"

She rolled her eyes a little and smiled as she nod her head. "Okay...when this mess is over...I'd be glad to do it again."

They shared another kiss to seal the deal and then they got up off the bed, cleaning themselves off the dust before they went to get their clothes. Once they were fully dressed and their heart rates had dropped back to normal they held hands as they left the dwelling to explore more of the tower, walking toward a large flight of stairs built into the walls of the tower as a means of transport between each level.

When they nearly reached the top Tatsumi heard something familiar and she stopped Mine in order to hear it properly.

"What is it?"

"Shh…"

He gently touched a finger to her lips and waited silently near the top of the steps, his breathing low and controlled. His eyes widened when the sound he heard finally registered, Mine's eyes widening when she too heard the soft sound of heartbreak. Someone, somewhere up on the next floor, was crying. They could both feel the emotion in the gentle weeping, and with a quick glance at one another they slowly ascended the stairs to the doorway out to the next floor.

As soon as they passed through it they came to a completely cleared out floor, not even the buildings and dwellings that populated the previous floors were there. All that was left was rubble, like something or someone had destroyed them in a fit of rage.

"What happened up here, and-" asked Mine before Tatsumi put a hand on her shoulder and silently pointed up ahead of them through the rubble.

Erected in the center of the circular floor, surrounding by the piles of debris, was a square metal box with small tiny windows on all four sides and a heavily, heavily locked metal door. They began to long, slow walk toward te box, making sure to not cause too much noise since they didn't want to disturb who was trapped inside the box.

As they got closer the weeping became more and more prevalent and it became apparent that it was a female inside of the box. Mine's expression softened as they cleared the ring of rubble surrounding the metal box and covered the last few feet o come face to face with the prison's only way in and out.

A small sliding slat was built into the door and it was left open, so Tatsumi decided to peer inside first. He held his face and looked inside through the tiny slit into the interior of the box and had to squint to make out anything, a single dark figure curled up in the farthest corner the only thing that he could make out.

"I knew at some point one of you would find this…"

Mine and Tatsumi whirled around to see Lazarus standing there a few feet away near the closest pile of rubble, his hand held behind his back in a respectful way. They moved away from the box and went up to the warden, looking up at him with worried expressions.

"Who is that in there…? And why are they separated from the others…?" asked Mine in a soft voice.

"It's for her safety and the safety of the others, unfortunately…" he replied sadly, Tatsumi glancing back at the box.

" _So it is a female in there…_ "

"Why? What's wrong with her…?"

Lazarus walked out in front of them by a few steps and turned around, his back facing the box prison, and sighed. "She's the most damaged person here in this tower...she's faced untold atrocities…."

He coughed a little from the pan of speaking but it was secondary when compared to what he knew the person inside the box had gone through on their own. Tatsumi and Mine waited patiently for him to clear his throat and recover, the gravity off the situation apparent to them through the tone of the warden alone.

"Her name's Freya...and from what she's told me and told Yuuki, the only other person she sees...she was born to a loving mother alongside her brother, and a father who was...not so. Her father was a scientist...and at a young age her mother, the one who protected them, died...leaving her and her brother at the mercy off their father's experiments."

Tatsumi's jaw muscles tightened at the familiarity of the story to certain situations he had learned of from his friends back home, and Mine lowered her head so her bangs could hide her face.

"They were testing new weapons, based off the Teigu of your nation...and while her brother excelled and received rewards...Freya's loving nature as a result of her mother made her a less then ideal test subject. Constant harsh words, beatings, you name it...she failed test after test because they most commonly involved harming other individuals...it got so bad that her father…" Lazarus paused for a moment to keep his own emotions in check. "Her father blinded her...cut across both of her eyes with a dagger and blinded her, to rob her of her sight."

Anger boiled up inside of Tatsumi and his left eye twitched when, through the break of Lazarus speaking he heard the girl inside of the box crying and sobbing, and he could only imagine how horrible it must be for her to be trapped in darkness forever. Mine had to slip a hand into his to try and help keep his temper in check, since she knew how much injustice done upon others could dig under his skin, and he let out a labored sigh as a way to defuse slightly.

"What...happened after that…?" asked Tatsumi in a low voice, Lazarus turning sideways to look at the box.

"Soon after that...she broke. The weapons they had given for her to test became the tools of their own downfall. She slaughtered everyone...and as a result she was taken here and locked away to rot. When I first found her...she was in a much more story state then compared to now...she wouldn't let anyone get even close to her, and it took years before she allowed me to touch her. That's when I moved her up here, and...at her own request, I built this around her because she didn't want to hurt anyone ever again."

Lazarus coughed again when he finished and brought out his handkerchief to wipe away some blood that dripped through the helmet, Tatsumi and Mine staring at the metal box with a desire to help the girl inside.

"Do...you think we could see her…?" asked Mine. "If it's possible, that is…"

"I believe so...allow me."

He went up to the door and lock by lock he went with a key until he unlocked the last one and grasped the handle, opening the heavy metal door wide enough to let light shine in. Tatsumi guessed the door was at least seven inches thick, which made him think just what kind of weapon this girl had which required such a containment measure.

"Freya….Freya it's me, Lazarus...there's a couple who wants to see you…" said Lazarus softly into the darkness of the box, the crying coming to a stop.

He waited for a few moments before he stuck his head a little further into the metal box and held a gloved hand out toward the dark.

"It's okay Freya...they're friendly...they won't hurt you…"

He was met with silence once again for a minute or so before he heard soft shuffling from inside and then slow, gentle footsteps that came toward him. Lazarus stepped away from the doorway and stood next to it as from the shadows of the prison box walked a girl shorter then Tatsumi with waist length dark blue hair, pale skin and a body that could make anyone's head turn in shock, especially because of the revealing clothes.

Once they got past that, however, they saw for themselves the horrible truth of Lazarus' words of the girl.

Her gaze was aimed at the ground, her general posture was that of nervousness and inferiority, and like he had said, spanning the bottom of her cheeks to her forehead across both of her eyes were vicious looking scars. Then the other scars became relevant, some minor and some severe, and they were utterly everywhere.

"Oh my god…" whispered Mine under her breath, her hand covering her mouth in overwhelming sadness.

Freya stood close by next to Lazarus and her eyes moved slightly in Tatsumi and Mine's general direction, the faded, pale grey irises devoid of any emotion related to happiness. She flinched slightly when Lazarus put a gentle hand on her shoulder and brought her forward slightly.

"D-Does...does she know where we are…?" asked Mine with a stutter, Lazarus slowly nodding his head.

"One good thing she got out from those horrid experiments was a special ability...she can feel the vibrations in the ground and using that with her hearing, she can "see" you without actually using her eyes." explained Lazarus, Freya slowly nodding her head to confirm his statement.

"Is...that true...Freya…?" questioned Tatsumi softly, Freya turning her head toward him and nodding again.

"...Y-Yes….sir….."

" _Her voice is almost a whisper…_ " thought Tatsumi before he took a step forward.

Freya heard him and she cowered down almost instantly, Tatsumi stopping and feeling another tug on his heart strings.

"Please...you don't have to cower before me...I'm not going to hurt you...I promise…"

Freya kept her gaze lowered and remained in her submissive state before she looked back up at him again, felt the softness in his voice, and nod her head slowly. Tatsumi smiled a little at the small bit of progress and continued walking toward her, Freya trembling slightly until he was a foot away from her, Lazarus going over to be next to Mine.

"Hello, Freya." He kept smiling a little as he stood in front of her, keeping his gaze on her eyes.

He stood a head taller then her, around Mine's own height, so he already felt more comfortable trying to talk to her. The only thing he had to be sure to not do was let his gaze wonder down to her chest, it's only direct competition being Esdeath from the last time he had seen her.

"...H-H….Hello….." she replied, her gaze falling down to Tatsumi's feet.

"Hey...you can look at me…"

"...I-I….I can…..?"

Tatsumi nod his head and slowly after several long seconds of silence Freya brought her head up to look him in the eyes. Tatsumi could see his reflection in her pale eyes and he clenched his right fist tightly out of anger for the heartless father that did this to this young woman.

"...How are you feeling...Freya?" he asked softly.

"...I-I'm….Okay…..I...guess…"

"...Your eyes look very pretty...what color are-"

He caught himself instantly and cleared his throat. "What...color did they used to be…?"

Freya's eyes widened a little bit and her lower lip quivered slightly before she gulped and blinked. "...U-Um….they….they didn't change….I...I've always had….silvery eyes…."

While they shared small talk between one another Mine and Lazarus were having their own small conversation themselves on the side.

"Seems they're getting along well...she hardly ever talks with anyone outside of me Yuuki and I...so that means she trusts Tatsumi…" whispered Lazarus to Mine, who nod her head and smiled.

"Tatsumi has a kind and warm heart, one not many people during our time in the old Empire had...he's a great person who cares about everyone he meets…" she replied with a sigh. "I'm sure its killing him on the inside to see the state she's in...all of those scars…"

Lazarus slowly nod his head in solemn agreement while they continued to watch Tatsumi and Freya interact with one another, the latter taking her time in coming out of her shell.

"You seem like a very sweet girl, Freya...would you like to take a seat?"

Freya nod her head shyly and Tatsumi was about to take a step forward before he remembered her blindness and despite knowing she could basically "see", he still felt he should still help her navigate over to a piece of stone that could serve as a seat for them both.

"Could I...walk you there?"

"...U-Um…..sure…."

Tatsumi then ever-so-carefully slipped his hand into her's, Freya's eyes shooting wide open at the sudden contact and the warmth she felt in his gentle grasp as he slowly walked her toward the rubble around her cage. She stumbled a little bit when she stepped on some pebbles and winced at the sharp edges digging into her bare feet, but Tatsumi stood right there next to her to keep her standing up.

When they reached the stone slab Tatsumi had chosen he helped her sit down first before taking his own seat beside her, Freya managing a small blush until he removed his hand from her's.

"Better?" he asked softly.

"...Y-Yes….Mister…."

Tatsumi chuckled a little bit and grinned. "You can call me by my name, Tatsumi."

"...Tat….sumi….it's…."

"Where I come from, it means "Sleeping Dragon", which is ironic considering I have a weapon nicknamed "Demon Dragon Armor" and...at one point I had become a literal dragon…" he explained, Freya looking at him in utter shock.

"...You...were a Dragon…? A...Danger Beast…?" she asked, Tatsumi nodding.

"Yeah...wasn't the greatest thing though. But what about you…? Your name is rather intriguing too…"

Freya smiled a tiny bit as she relaxed a little more and held her hands in her lap, rubbing the back of her right with her thumb as she recalled the history of her name.

"...My mother….she named me after one of the Goddesses….of Judecca's ancient past…." she said quietly as she brought up a hand past her large tits to touch the spot over her heart.

"...She told me...that Freya was the Goddess of beauty….and love…."

"Well, I would have believed her." replied Tatsumi, Freya getting caught off guard by his statement and looking at him once again in shock.

"...You….think…"

"Well of course I do." Tatsumi put a hand on top of her's again. "Which is why it pains me so to see you in such a way….with all of these…"

He moved his hand away from her hand to gently touch her thigh, his fingers running slowly along her scars, which made her shiver at his warm touch. She was cold, Tatsumi felt, and it only made him feel more sorry for her, so without thinking he kept gently rubbing her scars.

"...You were hurt a lot, weren't you…" he murmured, Freya slowly nodding. "I'm so sorry Freya….it must have been excruciating...to go through all of that…"

"...Y-Yes…" she said with a shiver when his fingers went over the top of her left thigh and wrapped all the way around to the backside.

"You're so brave, Freya…"

They stayed there for several minutes, not saying anything between one another before Lazarus checked his pocket watch and groaned a little at the time.

"You'll have to excuse me...I have business to attend to below on the first floor, so...if you two wouldn't mind looking over Freya until I return?"

"Of course not, go ahead." replied Mine with a smile, the Warden nodding.

He bid farewell to them and left to return to the prison section of the tower, leaving Mine and Tatsumi alone with the timid Freya. Freya shyly looked from him to Mine as she sat next to him, her hand still gently holding onto one of his. Mine decided to walk over to them and sit down on her other side, carefully lifting up a few strands of her navy blue hair and marveling at how soft it was despite all of the hardships she had been through.

"You poor thing….Freya, you know that Tatsumi and I...we've suffered like you have as well…" she said softly, Freya turning her gaze to her.

"...R-Really…?"

Mine nodded and stopped feeling Freya's hair to lean back on her hands. "Mhm...you see, when I was younger back home, I came from a different nation...half of my bloodline from said nation, in the West, and because of it...I was ridiculed and bullied for it….I was subjected to racism…"

Freya's already shy expression turned even softer as her damaged heart hurt for Mine, but she kept herself rather composed and then turned to Tatsumi for what he had to say.

"For me...well...for me, Mine, and a lot of our friends….we had to witness many of our loved ones and close friends die….a lot of innocent people died in a bloody revolution we were a part of…" he told her while looking at his own two feet, hiss chest hurting as he brought up his memories. "...It was horrible…having to experience it all...I had never known such despair…"

Freya's heart ached and pained for the two of them as she heard their stores, hurt so much that she began to cry a little bit when their pain mixed with her own. Mine noticed this and she brought a hand up to wipe the tears away, her thumbs rubbing over the horrid scars that cut across both of her cheeks.

"Please don't cry for us...that was all in the past, three years ago in fact." she said with a soft smile after drying Freya's cheeks.

"...I'm sorry….I've...a-always been sensitive…" she replied with a sniffle. "...U-Um….Mister….T-Tatsumi…?"

"Yes, Freya? What is it?"

"...C-Could….you help me….please...bathe…? M-Mister….Lazarus….would always help me...and it's...around that time…."

Tatsumi and Mine sat there in silence for a few moments, the two staring at one another and holding a silent conversation on if one or the other would do it and help the girl out. After some urging from Mine and a nod of consent it was decided that Tatsumi would do it, so he smiled and gently squeezed the hand that was still in his hold.

"If you'd like that, I wouldn't mind helping you. Is there some place on this floor that he would bring you to?"

"...Y-Yes….I can show you where…"

She slowly stood up, her knees wobbling slightly, and Tatsumi held onto her shoulders to keep her from collapsing. Mine watched with a small smile as Freya led Tatsumi away from her box cage to a still standing building near the wall of the tower, at the edge of the circular floor.

When they reached the small building Freya touched the surface of the door and pushed it inward, Tatsumi following her into a renovated room turned bathroom complete with tub and an assortment of soaps arranged on a single shelf on the wall. The door creaked shut behind them and Freya let go of Tatsumi's hand, standing in the center of the room close by to the tub shyly with a slight blush on her face.

"What's wrong Freya…?" asked Tatsumi, Freya rubbing her right arm a little.

"...T-The only….other person I'd normally be in her with….is Lazarus…..t-this is the first….time I've been in here with….someone else….and….I'm scared…"

"...Why?"

Tatsumi's expression softened as Freya lowered her gaze and stopped rubbing her arm, merely holding onto it as she twisted her left foot around a little in a shy manner.

"...I-I...don't know...what you look like...I only know…your voice and…where you stand…"

Tatsumi's heart pained itself again over Freya when he realized that she was right, despite being able to feel the vibrations in he ground and using her other senses to navigate the world without her vision, there was still no way for her to see what a person would look like.

For all she knew, he was some creep that was pretending to be kind to her only to take advantage of her in the end. He could only imagine how much courage it must have taken her to trust Lazarus after everything she knew had come crumbling down, and she had endured so much pain and suffering at the hands of her father and brother.

"...Let me try to help then...give me your hands…"  
Freya glanced his direction before she nervously approached Tatsumi and slowly brought up her hands, which he finally noticed had scars on their palms as well. He grimaced when he imagined having them impaled with nails before he shook his head and dispelled the thought.

"Here...see my face...using your hands…" he said softly as he took her hands into his own and brought them up to his face, placing them on his cheeks.

Freya's eyes widened at the suddenness of the move, but after a few moments her curiosity grew enough to compel her to explore the rest of his facial features. Ever so tenderly she moved her hands across his cheeks, traced his jawline, and felt out his nose and eyebrows. Tatsumi closed his eyes when she wandered over to them and upon realizing what they were, her thumbs lightened their touch as she moved them across his eyelids, mapping out his face inch by inch. Eventually she reached the beginning of his hair and he hunched down a little so she could run her hands through it, her eyes widening at the feeling of it until she ran out of places to explore.

"Did you see it all? My face…?" he asked once she had took her hands away from him.

"...Y-You….you're…" she started to stay but she was caught up on her own words, the mental image of Tatsumi slowly taking shape for her as a result of the information she gathered with her hands.

"...How...old are you…?"

"I'm twenty two." replied Tatsumi with a smile, Freya blinking once before finally the completed mental image came into fruition in her mind.

"...I...I can see you now….I...I think I know what you look like, Tatsumi…" she said in a quiet tone as she reached up and gently cupped Tatsumi's cheeks again. "...At least I hope I do…"

Tatsumi smiled more as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked heer in the eyes. "I trust you, Freya. I just hope...that you can fully trust me as well."

As he said that Freya wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, her large tits squishing against his abs while she rested her cheek against his chest. Tatsumi was left a little baffled at first but he closed his eyes and chuckled a little before he rubbed the top of her head and didn't bother interrupting her.

He ended up letting her hug him for at least five minutes before on her own Freya took a few steps back from him and shyly held her hands in front of her.

"...Y-Yes….I…..I do….trust you…."

"Alright then….so, time for your bath?"

Freya nod her head and blushed slightly as she glanced off to the side timidly. "...Yes….b-but…."

"But?" asked Tatsumi.

She blushed a little more before she stood on the tips of her toes and whispered a request into his ear, one that caused his eyes to widen and him to sputter a little bit out of surprise. He looked at her and she gently tugged a little on his sleeve, giving him a pleading expression and, after feeling the strings of his heart be pulled on he sighed.

"Fine...I'll climb in with you...did you make Lazarus do this too?"

"...N-No….I...didn't because...I still don't know what he looks like…"

"So...you're saying you trust me more then Lazarus?" Tatsumi asked in a surprised tone, Freya timidly nodding her head again.

Tatsumi sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, before he shrugged and went over to the tub in order to start filling it up with warm water. Freya blushed a little more when she heard the water spilling into the tub and stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do first since she wasn't doing her usual routine with Lazarus.

"Um...do you need help undressing, or…" questioned Tatsumi in a low tone, Freya jumping a little bit and shaking her head.

"...N-N-No….I can….do it myself…"

She timidly started to fidget with her clothes, Tatsumi respectfully turning his gaze away to focus on the bath water as it filled up the tub. Freya then began to slowly undress, removing each piece of revealing outfit and putting them in a messy pile on the ground at her feet until she was standing in the nude, her right arm covering her tits and her left hand hiding her crotch from view.

"...R-Ready…..Mister Tatsumi…"

"Alright, the bath is just about-" he began to say as he turned around before he choked on his own words upon seeing Freya in her nude state.

"...W-What…? What is it…?" she asked nervously, Tatsumi gulping a little as his own cheeks turned red and he focused on her face.

"Ah...nothing...what I was saying is that the bath is almost ready."

"...Oh...okay…"

Tatsumi looked away from her again and had to control himself until the water was ready, where he turned off the water and stood up. Freya assumed the tub was full and without him asking she approached the tub and stepped into the water, sitting herself down on one end and smiling softly at the pleasure it brought her.

"Well...I guess I'll get in as well…"

He took off his clothes and put them in a neat and orderly pile, even going so far as to do the same for Freya's, until he carefully lowered himself into the bath across from Freya. Once he did they remained in those spots for a couple of minutes, an awkward silence dominating the air between them.

The young woman then moved forward in the water and Tatsumi sucked in a breath when she turned herself around and sat down gingerly between his legs, her ass mere inches away from her groin. With her back facing him she finally dropped her arm from her tits and shyly waited silently for Tatsumi to start, although it took him a little while to clue in.

"Ah, right...soap…" he murmured as he reached over and trapped some shampoo first. "You'd like your hair washed first, right…?"

She nod her head and Tatsumi squeezed some soap into the palm off his hand, scrubbing them together until there was visible suds, and began to gently scrub Freya's hair. He noticed almost instantly how relaxed she became and he let out a sigh of relief as well, letting his fingers flow through Freya's hair to spread the soap between the strands.

"...Mister Tatsumi….that woman….who is she…?" asked Freya out of the blue.

"Her name's Mine, and she's my wife, believe it or not. " he chuckled after replying. "To be perfectly honest, I still can't believe how lucky I am...we have a child back home...her name's Unryuu."

"...And….that means…."

"Cloud Dragon...because her hair is as soft as a cloud…"

Freya smiled a little more as he finished scrubbing her scalp and moved down her hair. "...How….old is she…?"

"Unryuu or Mine?"

"...Both…"

Tatsumi chuckled a little as he told her all about Mine and Unryuu, from their likes and dislikes and to a little of their past and what their lives were like in the three years that had passed since the end of the revolution. When he finished, which coincidentally was the same time he finished washing off the soap from her back, her hair already done, Freya closed her eyes and nod her head.

"...That…..sounds so nice…I'm….happy for you…."

"...You wish you had something like that too...huh…" he breathed, his tone dropping to a lower, more saddened one.

Freya didn't lie and slowly nod her head again, Tatsumi looking at the back of her head with pain in the center of his chest. Seeing her before him with everything out t bare, all of her scars, it made him want to help her so much. He wished he could turn back time in order to help save her from having to suffer the pain of losing her mother, and the pain of being put through her father's unspeakable experiments alongside her brother.

The one scar he noticed that pain him the most was the one that wrapped around her throat, which told him that at some point she may have been choked her strangled by something sharp…barbed wire came to mind first over anything else.

Without a word he snaked his arms through the water around her belly and hugged her close to his body, Freya gasping a little at their skin touching and at how close she was to him now.

"...I'm so sorry….I wish I could have prevented it….Mine would want to as well…" he whispered to her, Freya's cheeks turning red at how sincere he sounded.

" ...Mister Tatsumi…." she said back to him, Tatsumi closing his eyes and relaxing his arms.

"If there's any way that I could help, please...tell me…"

Freya sat there in his arms in silence, her expression softening immensely as she felt the warmth he was radiating and couldn't stop herself from placing her hands over Tatsumi's and accepting the hug. Another few minutes of silence ticked on by until Freya slowly turned her head to look back at Tatsumi, her blush still present.

"...I will...thank you…"

She gave him a small smile and Tatsumi returned it in kind before he removed his arms from around her waist, freeing her from his hold.

"What next…?

"...I-If….you're able...my breasts...please…" she replied softly, Tatsumi's cheeks turning red again as he gulped a little.

"...Yes, I am able…" he replied before he grabbed the body soap and squirted some into his right hand.

He rubbed his hands together until suds oozed between his fingers and he took a deep breath to steady himself before he slowly reached around her body and placed his hands over her collar bones just above her large tits. He then slowly slid his hands down her skin until he was rubbing the soap around Freya's tits, going in slow circles from the outside to the inside repeatedly.

Freya blushed heavily and she bit her lower lip a little from the feeling of his hands on her tits, and Tatsumi had to struggle to control himself since he had never held ones so big before in his life.

" _Holy shit...they're massive….and heavy….how can she not have back problems…_ "

He continued to gently scrub her tits, unable to stop thinking about them, and unintentionally he squeezed them a little and caused Freya to let out the tiniest of moans.

" _...She's...sensitive…._ "

"...M-Mister...Tatsumi?"

He was brought out of his own thoughts by Freya's soft voice and he stopped his hand motions for a moment, her tits covered mostly in white suds from the soap.

"Yeah…?"

"...A-Are they…okay...?" she asked with a heavy blush, keeping her head turned to the front. "...M-My….breasts…"

"E-Eh…? Why would you-"

"...Y-Your….manhood…..it's…touching me…" she said in almost a whisper, her body shivering slightly.

Tatsumi blinked a couple of times, confused by what she meant, until he looked down at her lower back and instantly he regretted life. Sure enough, he could see through the water that standing proud and tall along Freya's asscrack was his shaft, and he could only guess that what caused it was being so fixated on her tits that he lost control over himself.

"A-Ah, I'm so sorry….I…"

"...Does….t-that mean you….you're attracted to me…?" she asked, Tatsumi gulping out of embarrassment.

"...Well...I'd be lying...if I said that you certainly are...of the desirable kind…" he said nervously, fearing a slap in the face any second now.

However, it didn't come and instead he felt Freya shift herself to the right so that her ass was snug up against the crook in Tatsumi's right leg, then she looked down and blushed harder then she ever has before at the sight of Tatsumi's dick under the water.

"I-I'm really sorry about that, I...I can get out, if you want me to, I-"

He was cut off when she gently placed a finger to his lips and she smiled a little. They locked gazes for a few moments before she brought her hand away and turned back around, sitting in her previous spot and allowing hiss shaft to rest against her lower back and ass.

"...It's...okay…I don't mind…" she said, Tatsumi astonished by her reaction.

After blinking and shaking himself from his self-induced trance and moved his hands once again to her tits to keep scrubbing them. Tatsumi felt so embarrassed that he couldn't control his own manhood in front of a girl he just met, and it showed with how awkwardly he kept bathing her.

"...Mister Tatsumi, it's okay...really…"

"But it isn't…we only just met today and just from...scrubbing your breasts I couldn't control myself…" replied Tatsumi, ashamed of himself.

"...It...just means that….your body is...attracted to me, right…?" asked Freya in the most innocent way possible.

"Well...yes, I guess…"

"...Then it's okay….it's natural...and really, I'm...flattered….and surprised…" she blushed and twirled a little bit of her hair. "...I wouldn't think I'd be attractive….with all of my scars…"

"No...no, no, no...Freya….you are attractive…" Tatsumi sighed as he stopped and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around.

Freya blushed at the serious expression on his face and at how he was holding her and shyly looked off to the side, Tatsumi smiling a little.

"You are beautiful Freya...believe me...and don't let anyone else tell you different because of your scars. It's the truth."

Her cheeks turned another shade of red when she felt warmth grow in the center of her chest and she looked at Tatsumi again, her pale eyes showing his reflection. He brought a hand up and rubbed the top of her head, chuckling a little and giving her a big smile he knew she couldn't see, but it seemed like she did when she hugged him again.

"...M-Mister…..T-Tatsumi…..you're going to...make me cry…"

"Please don't...cry only out of joy, and not pain…"

He gently rubbed her back while they hugged, Freya sniffing a few times as if she were going to cry, but she did not and merely rested her head on his shoulder. She found herself unable to let go of this man who had practically appeared out of nowhere in her life, his personality and the softness in his voice whenever he talked like a drug she couldn't have enough of.

It was like, through Tatsumi, she could feel her Mother talking and taking care of her once again even though she had been dead for years. When she thought of that, she couldn't help but start to cry softly into Tatsumi's shoulder, Tatsumi remaining still for her as he kept rubbing her back and feeling the scars inflicted on her soft skin.

" _...This woman...she's been through so much...each scar has its own story…_ " he thought sadly. " _If there's a way...I want to bring her with us…I want to give her a good life…_ "


	16. The Seven Deadly Sins

A/N Hey everybody, a little update on me. Its gonna be a while between chapters again because I'm limited down to one arm for the most part. Here recently I had to undergo surgery on my right arm due to a sports related injury and I'm very limited as to how I can use it, so for the time being I'm typing with my non-dominant left hand and its difficult.  
Other then that, leave a fav and review please!

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - The Seven Deadly Sins**

 **\- Holy Capital of Zion, Judecca -**

"Coming back here always reminds me of the Imperial Capital back home…" murmured Esdeath with a little grin as she rode through the front gates of Zion.

"Is the Imperial Capital similar to Zion?" asked Grimmjaw from his horse next to her, Giovanni and Xerxes on her other side.

Xerxes was riding on a horse that was tied to the saddle of Giovanni's horse, and the man's expression from what could be seen since his mouth was covered was not one of happiness.

"Yes, it is, although the steam pipes and the architectural style is very different from that of the Empire's. I believe the Imperial Capital is larger then Zion as well…"

"How large?" asked Giovanni.

"Roughly two hundred thousand square miles." replied Esdeath, Giovanni's jaw dropping to the floor while Grimmjaw merely chuckled. "Although, that was when I was last there...It could have grown larger."

The heavy main gates of the city groaned as they closed shut behind them, the four continuing forward down the cobblestone street toward the Holy Palace, which they could clearly see straight ahead of them.

The layout of Zion used to involve more winding streets, but after Maxwell had come to power the entire city had received a massive infrastructure overhaul, the biggest being the destruction of the old palace and the building of the new one. The second biggest change were the roads, where now all roads from the farthest corners of the circular city led back to the palace at the direct center of Zion.

Connecting roads built in concentric circles were built as well, which from above gave Zion the appearance of a large eyeball. The Holy Palace and the grounds it rested upon were the pupil, everything past that all the way to the walls of the city was the iris, the connecting roads appearing as rings around the pupil, and the farmland beyond Zion the sclera.

" _Such a big way to ensure everyone knows she is the center of it all...a "Goddess" like she proclaims…_ " thought Esdeath when they approached the Holy Palace.

A line of five Archangels stood on either side of the palace doors, silently watching the four dismount their horses and approach them. One from each line went to open the doors for them and Esdeath walk through with Grimmjaw first, Giovanni smirking as he tipped his hat to them while he followed with Xerxes.

Their footsteps echoed off the walls of the Holy Palace as they walked through the entrance hall, the light coming in through the stained glass windows behind the altar twinkling at them from the far opposite side of the palace. The place was empty like it usually was, so they were thankful they weren't brought back on a Sunday because they wouldn't even had made it past the front doors yet.

"Ah...there you four are…"

Maxwell greeted them with a smile from the altar, Xerxes rolling his eyes while Grimmjaw took his top hat off and bowed respectfully, Esdeath crossing her arms across her chest and Giovanni copying Grimmjaw but in a more flamboyant manner.

"A pleasure to meet with you once again, Goddess." cackled Giovanni as he bowed, Maxwell grinned at them as they stopped before the altar and held her hands behind her back, that domineering "I'm better then you" aura surrounding her at all times.

"Just wait for a moment, the others will be here shortly."

Soon enough, just after she said that the entrance doors opened and in walked a pair of beautiful women, one with bright teal hair cut in a bowl style with her bangs covering her right eye, and the other with long pink hair. Both had piercing red eyes and the teal-haired one had the outfit of a nurse on in a sense, with a white and teal overcoat , a red tie, a skirt, stockings and silver shoes, while the other was dressed as a bunny with the typical ears, jacket with collar and bow tie, and the skin-tight suit.

"We're here~!" bellowed the pink-haired woman while the other shyly waved.

"Salencia, Valencia, glad you could join us." said Grimmjaw as the two joined him and Esdeath.

"Hi…"

"Still shy as ever Valencia, hm?" teased Giovanni, which caused Valencia to blush even more.

"Oi, ease up on my sister jerk." said Salencia with a soft punch to his arm, Giovanni snickering.

"So we're just waiting on-"

"I'm here now."

Appearing from a glowing red seal that appeared on the ground close by was a man wearing a black tattered cloak with a large hood, his face concealed entirely behind dark maroon colored rebreather mask made to look like a plague doctor's beak mask with red lenses, along with grungy, faded boots.

"Welcome back to Judecca, it's good to see you again Nemo." said Maxwell with a smile, the man bowing slightly toward her before he stood next to Xerxes.

"Yes, indeed. Now, what is the purposes of our summons?"

"Come with me."

Maxwell motioned with her thumb over her shoulder and turned around, her cap swishing as she walked past the throne room with the seven people she had gathered. They followed her into the small closet behind it and, knowing the way, Giovanni opened the trap door for everyone so they could climb down the ladder.

"I hate coming down here.." murmured Valencia nervously as they took the ladder all the way down to the first tier of Doroline's expansive dungeon, the screams hitting their ears like a bus.

"The smell of blood is incredible…" said Xerxes as he looked out over the hellhole.

"Follow me please, watch your step."

Maxwell took them down tier after tier, getting closer and closer to the blood-filled pit at the very bottom of the torture chamber until they were using grimy, blood stained stairs to reach the lake. There was a stone path that ran around the circumference of the lake, across from them a little alcove that possessed a rusted iron door that hid behind it something none of them knew about. They soon found out what laid beyond it after the Holy Empress had taken them beyond it, and eventually they entered an underground lab that was located beneath the torture chamber, a large circular chamber with large and small metal pipes covering every single inch of wall space.

"Whoa…" murmured Salencia as she looked around at all the instruments spread out through the chamber, Maxwell grinning as she walked toward a cluttered table.

"Allow me to ask you seven something…" she asked as she picked up a large flash filled with a bright pinkish red substance, and swirled it around a little. "Do you know what the meaning of life is?"

The seven stood side by side to one another and looked from one person to the other, some shrugging while others just remained silent, unable to answer the question. Maxwell smirked as she turned around and showed them the flask, Xerxes' eyes widening when he felt a dark aura rolling off the glass from the liquid itself.

"That liquid...what it is…?"

"This, you could say...is what remains of the royal family of Judecca…" she said with narrowed eyes, Esdeath crossing her arms and taking a doubtful stance.

"Oh really? What is that, their blood? Not very impressive, if I do say so myself."

"Indeed, it would not be impressive if this were merely their blood. But…" started Maxwell as she swished the liquid around again. "What if I told you this is the key to gaining life immortal?"

She grinned more when this grabbed their attention, even Esdeath's eyes widening slightly at the mention of immortality, a concept that all of them had never toiled with since it was impossible to gain eternal life. She lowered the flask once she had their full, unrestricted attention, and chuckled at Grimmjaw' dark expression he was giving her.

"What's the matter Grimmjaw…? Never heard of immortality?"

"That is a realm no human should ever mess around with...that's playing God. It could bring about terrible repercussions." he said in a solemn tone, Maxwell giggling a little.

"Am I not a Goddess though? So this should be fine. And besides...are you hearing any other naysayers among your compatriots?"

Grimmjaw looked around at the others and not a single peep came from them, not even Esdeath said anything. He sighed and crossed his arms as well, not saying anything else since doing so would only cause more trouble for himself.

"Now...allow me to ask you another question. Do any of you know the term…"Homunculus"?" she asked seriously, her grin vanishing at the word.

"Homun...culus...never heard of it." said Giovanni with a shrug and grin, Xerxes narrowing his eyes while the two sisters didn't say a word.

"I believe I remember reading something about such a thing in the archives of the Empire's library…" stated Esdeath as she thought for a moment. "Homunculus refers to an artificially created human, brought into existence by alchemy. Although, it was really obscure and didn't go into it that much."

"Alchemy? As in...mixing chemicals and substances together to create something?" questioned Salencia with a confused expression.

"In a sense, yes...but there's more to it. You see...in this world, there is Magic, and then there is Alchemy, and through these processes a great many things have been made, several of them being the powerful weapons known as "Teigu" from Esdeath's homeland."

Esdeath nod her head to confirm Maxwell's statement, and Maxwell began to walk slowly to the right, the flask of liquid still in her grasp.

"Some of those were made using Magic, giving them their powerful abilities. For the Armas that I've created however, like your Chronos, Grimmjaw, or your Tauros, Valencia, instead of Magic, Alchemy was used in their creation...and using Alchemy and the blood of the Royal Family, I have created this...a "Philosopher's Stone", if you will."

Maxwell grinned as she tipped the flask over slightly and allowed a drop of the liquid to fall onto her index finger, but instead of running off of it and behaving like regular liquid, the little red sphere stayed on her finger and made a little bubble. Esdeath watched, mesmerized by the liquid, as it rolled down her index finger and rested in the center of her palm like a small pearl, glistening slightly in the light.

"There is no name for this concoction, and there has never been anything like it before...but if I had to say what it could do...it will grant you a body never before seen."

"An immortal one…?" asked Nemo, fixing his glowing red eyes on the Empress.

"Indeed~"

Almost instantly Xerxes took a step forward and stared Maxwell down hard, a fire blazing in his eyes as he motioned to the drop of red liquid in her hand.

"Give it to me. If this will allow me to continue on living and quench my thirst, I will take it."

Maxwell chuckled at the determination and desire in his tone and she held up her hand with the pearl of liquid in it and nod her head, motioning at Xerxes' facemask. He understood and a purple hand appeared inexplicably from thin air to pull it down, revealing his mouth and the lower half of his face.

The ghostly hand they opened up its palm for Maxwell to transfer the liquid pearl of red liquid to it, Xerxes moving the hand up to his lips and tipping it up so the liquid rolled off the palm and into his mouth. He closed his lips as the red liquid slid down his throat and nothing appeared to happen at first until his eyes widened as veins bulged out across his cheeks and the rest of his body.

"Huaaaaaaaggghhh!" he shouted at the top of his lunges as he collapsed to his knees, black lightning arcing and lancing out across him in every direction.

Esdeath, Grimmjaw and the others watched in horror as Xerxes shrieked in pain as the liquid did something to him on the inside, something so torturous that it was making his eyes cry blood and his breathing to be raspy and harsh. He hunched over and shook terribly as he hacked out blood onto the ground, his veins pulsing and contorting with pain, until finally his neck lurched to the right with a loud crack and the lightning disappeared.

Xerxes breathed heavily as he sat on his knees, his veins returning to normal and the shaking going away after the apparent transformation had completed. He was sweating profusely like he had just run a marathon in a hundred degree heat, but he was showing signs of recovery as the seconds ticked on.

"Xerxes?" asked Grimmjaw carefully, he and the other five looking down at their companion cautiously.

He slowly raised his head up to look at them and their eyes widened when tattooed on the lower part of his left cheek was an image of a dragon devouring it's own tail, making a circle with its body, and a hexagram encircled within it. The black mark crackled slightly with black lightning as Xerxes got back on his feet and stood up, a purple ghost hand appearing to pull up his facemask again to hide the tattoo.

"This power...I...I desire, I want….I hunger…" he said, his voice noticeably darker then before as well as his presence.

"And thus...Xerxes has become the embodiment of immortality...he possesses the body only myths can describe."

She then procured a sword from behind her back and without warming she cut Stabbed it through Xerxes' neck, splattering blood all over the ground and causing it to roll down his neck in great loads.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what the hell?!" stammered Giovanni in shock, Valencia turning her head away from the sight of blood while Esdeath merely stood with wide eyes.

Maxwell withdrew the sword from him and smiled when as soon as the metal left his flesh, the blood that was spread across the blade turned to ash and faded away, while the wound in Xerxes' throat emitted black lightning and began to close up with a hiss. He groaned the whole time until the wound had been completely healed and he hunched over slightly, popping his neck and glaring at Maxwell for the sudden attack.

"It still fucking hurts you bitch..."

"But you're still alive, no~?" she responded with a smirk, Xerxes losing his fangs as he nod his head a little and coughed.

"What did you do to him…?" asked Esdeath, her blood beginning to boil at all the possibilities that could arise from having a body like that.

"It's simple. I've turned him into a Homunculus with a body that can regenerate itself if injured." said Maxwell as she held up the vial of reddish pink liquid and smirked. "The only side effects are that certain personality attributes or quirks he has are amplified in certain ways. But, aside from that...who's next?"

"Hell, I'll go. What do I have to lose?" said Giovanni with a grin as he stepped forward, taking Xerxes' spot while the newly transformed Xerxes himself returned to the line with the others.

Giovanni gladly opened his mouth and Maxwell giggled as she lifted the flask up and let a single drop role off the lip onto Giovanni's outstretched tongue. He closed his mouth and handed his top hat to Grimmjaw, expecting the same pain that attacked Xerxes to befall him as well, only after a few seconds it didn't come.

"Huh, well that's not so ba-Holy shit, I w-was fucking wrong!" he cried out in agony when he was assaulted mid-sentence by the paralyzing torment, his body locking up as the same black lightning appeared once again.

Like before the whole transformation process took several minutes, but once it was done GIovanni heaved and coughed up some blood as his veins receded and the lightning faded away into thin air.

"H-Holy shit, what a ride…" he said with a shaky tone as he slowly stood up, legs wobbling.

"Another Ouroboros tattoo, only…" murmured Salencia when she spotted the unique black symbol on his sternum.

"How do you feel, Giovanni?" questioned Maxwell, the man popping his neck a few times and cracking his knuckles before he looked back at her and gave her a large grin.

"I feel great, amazing even! I can't help but feel that...I want to own everything in the whole world. It's like my avarice just shot through the roof!" he laughed boisterously.

" _So it would seem that the liquid enhanced Xerxes' hunger tendencies, and for Giovanni...his avarice..._ " thought Grimmjaw with slightly narrowed eyes.

He stepped away from Maxwell, leaving the spot open for anyone else, and after seeing it happen for herself two times in a row Esdeath shrugged and walked forward to accept her drop of liquid. Maxwell poured it into her left hand and Esdeath ingested it almost instantly without a second thought, then crossed her arms and closed her eyes to wait for the transformation to begin.

She grunted when it hit her but remarkably she clenched her fingers around her arms as the lightning consumed her, the other six watching in astonishment when she didn't collapse to her knees or even yell. Giovanni and Xerxes knew personally that the pain was equivalent to being lit on fire, but to see Esdeath pay hardly any notice to it was jaw-dropping.

"She's inhuman…" Valencia spoke for all of them.

Esdeath kept a straight face through the pain, her veins bulging uncontrollably and even a small dribble of blood rolled down her chin, but other then that he kept herself composed as if it was nothing. Eventually the lighting dissipated and the pain faded along with her veins receding, Esdeath opening her eyes and wiping the blood away before noticing the Ouroboros tattoo on the back of her left hand and grinning.

"Well...that wasn't all that bad." remarked Esdeath as she looked at the others.

"How? How did that not affect you?!" stammered Giovanni in disbelief. "That had to have hurt!"

"Oh it did, I'm not denying that. It's just that I've had the fortune of going through something much worse." she replied with a shrug. "Plus I'm not weak like you."

Giovanni fumed at her attitude and Valencia shared a giggle with her sister, Nemo merely grunting his response and Grimmjaw chuckling. After Esdeath finished Nemo went next, followed by Salencia, Grimmjaw albeit begrudgingly, and then finally Valencia who had the worst reaction to it and ended up crying at the end and had to be comforted by Grimmjaw and her sister.

"And there we are...all done." said Maxwell as she set down the flask which still had quite a bit of reddish pink fluid in it. "Now you can go and carry out your mission."

"Which would be?" asked Grimmjaw as he rubbed the back of his neck, the tattoo printed there itching a little.

"Inspect the Megalith Prison, I have reason to believe that the people who don't belong in my country have taken shelter there due to the Warden's...shaky allegiance." she ordered without hesitation. "And if it comes down to force, use whatever means necessary."

Maxwell looked at all of them and she grinned evilly at her newest creations, the deadliest weapons that she could create and they could so easily blend in that heer enemies would only know their end when it's far too late.

"Pride…" she looked to Grimmjaw, then went down the line. "Greed, Sloth, Envy, Lust, Gluttony...and Wrath."

She rested her eyes on Esdeath as the last one in line and held her arms out to them, her grin turning even more wicked as she looked them over one final time.

"My perfect weapons, my seven deadliest sins...go forth and find those who do not belong."

Grimmjaw swiftly turned himself around first, Giovanni and Nemo next, Valencia and Salencia third, then finally Xerxes and Esdeath, the group walking toward the exit of Maxwell's lab. When they finally left the Empress turned her back away from the door and looked at the flask of liquid again, her grin slowly turning into an emotionless slate.

" _Now with them acting as my enforcers...I can focus on what really matters…_ " She looked to her right at an object contained in a glass chamber, a palm sized trinket with a unique black and purple circular design on it.

" _Dimensional Formation: Shambhala…my key to the other side..._ "

 **\- The Megalith -**

 **\- The Next Day -**

Najenda awoke with a start in the bed she was given, breathing a little heavily while beads of sweat dotted her forehead. She groaned as she slowly picked herself up and wiped the sweat away from the dream she had of Warsaw's assault on the capital and her memories of Lubbock.

"Dammit all…" she said under her breath as she got up and stretched her back a little.

The dreams were getting more frequent and her experience with the cyborg monstrosity that was Warsaw only made it worse, adding onto the various other nightmares she'd have as her time serving in the old Empire alongside Esdeath and the unfortunate circumstances she had to live with as Night Raid's chief.

Then someone knocked on her door and she glanced over at it, one half of the room encompassed by a pitch black void he had gotten used to, and walked over to it.

"Yes?" was her response when she opened it, and standing outside was Tatsumi.

"Oh, you're awake." he said with a slight grin. "I thought you would still be asleep."

"No...I just woke up actually. What is it Tatsumi…?" she asked while running a hand through her messy hair.

Tatsumi motioned inside and Najenda let him in, closing the door behind him, before he turned to face her as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Tatsumi grinned, "Nice outfit you have there Najenda."

She glanced down at herself and the disheveled white tank top and shorts she wore, chuckling as she shrugged and sat down on her bed and crossed her right leg over her left, looking up at him and leaning back on her one hand.

"So, what is it?"

"Well, it's about a certain inmate here...one Lazarus keeps separated from the others on a higher floor of the tower." Tatsumi divulged, the latter part catching Najenda's attention almost immediately.

"Separated? Why?" she inquired, Tatsumi taking a seat in a chair across from her and resting his hands in his lap.

"Well, for starters...it's a girl, maybe one or two years younger then me and Mine, give or take. And...well, she's been through quite an ordeal…"

He proceeded to describe in detail everything Lazarus had told him and Mine about the history of the separated prisoner, making sure to mention that her name was Freya, and as he went on Najenda's emotions fluctuated from shock to anger and everything in between.

"That's horrible...and...so…"

"She's kept separated so that if she goes on a rampage again she won't hurt anyone here...she asked for that herself." finished Tatsumi while rubbing the back of of his hand.

"...What's the point in telling me this?" questioned Najenda, Tatsumi looking at her as he took a deep breath.

"I think we should take her with us...or at least try to."

On the prison level of the tower Lazarus was busy tending to Yuuki, feeding her breakfast while he sipped on a drink made of his liquified breakfast, before his office door was hounded by a series of rapid knocks.

"What in the…" he grumbled a little as he wiped his hands off and went from connected the kitchenette area to the the door and opened it.

"Sir!" exclaimed a prison guard while saluting.

"What is it?"

"Sir, we've spotted a group of seven individuals approaching the tower on horseback. We've identified them as the-"

Lazarus stopped him mid-sentence and he put a hand on his shoulder, staring him dead in the eyes with an aura of dire seriousness around him.

"Go and find Miss Najenda and the others. Tell them to gather as many traveling supplies as they can and go up to the floor where she is being held, I'll meet with them as soon as I can. I'll tell our entrance guards to stall them for as long as possible."

"Yes sir!"

The prison guard ran off while Lazarus went back inside to his office building and walked quickly past Yuuki, who was still calmly eating her cereal it's a blank expression.

"...Papa, is everything okay?" she asked, Lazarus quickly putting on hiss tie and suit.

"Some very bad people are coming to this place my dear, and I believe they're here for our new friends...we need to try and by them enough time to escape without harm."

"...Can I cut them?"

"In any situation, I would say no, but considering who is going to be arriving at our doorstep...if it resorts to violence, yes." replied Lazarus, Yuuki nodding before finishing her last bite and standing up.

"...I'll go and wait, Papa."

Lazarus blinked and in that split-second Yuuki was gone, the old warden chuckling as he finished getting dressed and took a breath to steady his nerves. The seven coming to his prison he knew were the scariest people in the whole of Judecca, and the most powerful next to the Holy Empress' right hand man, the Grand Vizier.

" _I have a bad feeling about this…_ "

Meanwhile the Prison Guard he had instructed to gather the members of Night Raid had worked quickly, the group running with Tatsumi and Mine at the front toward the stairs that would take them up to the next level.

"Follow us, we know where to go!" yelled Tatsumi over his shoulder, Firenze groaning.

"If only I could fly in here...running like a human sucks!"

Lazarus exited his office building just in time to see them vanish into the stairwell and he nod his head, looking back towards the opposite stairwell that would take him down to the first floor where he knew his fate would be weighed by God, if there was one.

" _All of you, take care of Esdia._ "

He straightened his tie and walked forward, a platoon of armed Prison Guards following behind him in two neat lines, to go have his date with destiny. His group made their way down the stairs until they arrived at the entrance doors and opened them, walking out to the gazes of the seven whom his men had spotted.

"Ah, there's the Warden~" said Salencia with a giggle as she put her hands on her hips, Nemo and Xerxes watching him very carefully from the rear of the group.

"Welcome to the Megalith, you seven. What brings you here?" asked Lazarus as innocently as possible, Grimmjaw taking a step forward and bowing slightly.

"Sorry for the unannounced arrival, Warden Lazarus, but the Holy Empress has ordered us to conduct a search of your prison. She believes that dissenters from a recently captured territory have taken shelter here." he said, Lazarus feigning surprise by putting a hand over his helmet's mouth area.

"Really? Well...it is possible considering we only occupy the first two floors of this tower…"

Esdeath narrowed her eyes slightly, her analyzing of the man hampered by the fact he wore the helmet around his head and negated the possibility of reading him off his facial expressions. So instead of beating around the bush she decided on a more direct approach and took one step forward, swiftly drawing her rapier and pressing the tip against the Lazarus' throat.

"We know you've hidden them here, considering you helped the last surviving Princess flee the country. Tell us where they are."

"Where who is? I've memorized the name and cell number of every single one of the prisoners in my prison, but if you think they're hiding among them I can most certainly take you up so you can search." replied Lazarus cooly without a hint of fear in his voice.

Xerxes then narrowed his eyes and he sniffed the air a few times, Lazarus looking over at him while the man did so. He took a deep whiff one last time then locked gazes with Grimmjaw as his eyes blazed with a hunger no normal human could ever muster up on their own.

"I can smell them...an unfamiliar one, from another land. They're here, in the tower."

Giovanni grinned as he appeared next to Lazarus while cracking his knuckles menacingly, the string keeping his Glasgow smile managed stretching out from how wide he was grinning.

"So, Warden...care to show us where they are…?"

Lazarus remained perfectly still, his men behind him looking at their Warden and those threatening him with tense gazes. This silence persisted for what seemed like forever until all of a sudden Lazarus whistled and a blue blur appeared at his side, Giovanni's eyes widened when blood exploded out from his neck after his head was severed from his shoulders and Esdeath was thrown backward by a strong punch from Lazarus.

"Open fire!" he ordered as he leaped backward behind their lines with Yuuki, her blade covered with red blood.

His guards brought their rifles up and unloaded on the group of seven, Nemo dropping a smoke bomb that hid them from view just before the first bullet was fired. Each guard fired off at least six rounds until Lazarus ordered them to stop, the nerve-wracking silence returning for the few seconds that existed between the shots stopping and the smoke beginning to dissipate.

Lazarus gasped when revealed behind it was a thick wall made of ice, the guards' bullets they had fired off buried within it. The wall slowly lowered itself and a terrifying aura seeped over it, sending shivers up and down the spines of Lazarus and his men when behind it first appeared a grinning Esdeath, followed by the other six Sins.

Yuuki expressed surprise when standing next to her was Giovanni, his head on the ground at his feet exhibiting the last emotion he had, and right before her very eyes it disintegrated into ash and from his severed neck black sparks of lightning emerged from the skin. Slowly the bone and the facial tissue that made up Giovanni's head grew back, followed by his eyes until finally his skin and hair formed over the head, completing it's regeneration from the bloody mess it once was.

"Okay, first thing's first, ow?! That fucking hurt!" he angrily bellowed at them as he bent down to pick up his hat and put it on top of his head. "And second, holy shit that felt weird being without a head."

"What in the...how...that's…" stuttered Lazarus in disbelief before Salencia giggled at him.

"What, impossible? Sorry to burst your bubble mister Warden, sir, but never believe that the impossible is impossible~"

Esdeath then grinned as she crouched down and slapped her hand to the ground, a blue light flashing. "Grauhorn!"

Up on Freya's level she had been let out of her box by Firenze, who had used her fire to melt the door, and thankfully Tatsumi and Mine where able to calm her down without any difficulty.

"Wait a minute…" said Wave when he felt a very large aura flare up from beneath them.

Tatsumi, Mine, Najenda and Kurome followed suite in becoming silent and using their senses to detect what was going on beneath them. One by one, however, their inquisitive expressions quickly turned into ones of shock and horror when they all felt the same ominous, powerful and malicious aura they had all come to fear.

"N-No….that can't be..." murmured Mine in terror, Najenda looking at Tatsumi and her, then to Wave and Kurome who looked just as shaken.

"It's…"

"...Her…"

All of a sudden the floor behind them exploded when something light blue and reflective burst up from below, Lazarus and Yuuki appearing from the dust cloud and hitting the ground hard at their feet, grunting and groaning in visible pain.

"Well...that certainly beats using an elevator…"

Tatsumi grit his teeth as the dust and smoke began to clear, Wave and Kurome helping the two up to their feet while Esdia hid terrified behind some rubble close by to Mine and Firenze. The smoke finally cleared and standing in front of the large pillar of ice that had pierced through the several tower floors to reach them were Grimmjaw and company, all seven of them staring silently.

Esdeath took a step forward, grinning at her handiwork, before her gaze came to rest of Tatsumi and Mine standing side by side holding each other's hands, then she saw Wave and Kurome.

" _O-Oh no….they...it really is them…_ " her eyes focused primarily on Tatsumi. " _Tatsumi…_ "

"Do you recognize them…?" questioned Nemo with a glance at the ice queen, Esdeath shaking her head slightly and frowning.

"Unfortunately yes...two of them were former subordinates of mine and the other two old enemies…"

Nemo nod his head and from under his tattered cloak he pulled out two black knives that he twirled around his fingertips and stared down Kurome, seeing a resemblance in her.

"As much as I would rather be back home...we must finish this task."

"Oy, oy, Finally the good stuff!" chirped Giovanni as he cracked his knuckles and grinned, Xerxes hunching over and growling at Firenze.

"Your scent isn't human…"

"No shit Human...I'm not some mere scum of the earth, you should shake and tremble at me!" she snarled back at him, flames dancing between her teeth.

"Well, we all know our mission. Capture them."

Grimmjaw drew his rapier but before he or any of the other Sins could rush them Lazarus threw his hand down and a massive wall of fire sprung up from the ground, hiding him, Yuuki and company behind it.

"Go! Take Freya and leave this place, Yuuki and I will buy you time!"

"What?! Are you insane! Esdeath is with them, she's a literal one woman army!" bellowed Wave, the Warden looking back at him with fire in his eyes.

"And what were to happen if you were captured?! Go!"

"Wave he's right, we have to go...especially since we have no idea who she's partnered up with."

"...W-What…? What's going….Lazarus?" stammered Freya when her senses were in overdrive, her heart rate starting to increase when she felt the heat of the fire.

Tatsumi heard her first over everyone else and since she knew his touch better then anyone he wrapped an arm around her to calm the young woman while he motioned to Firenze with his other hand.

"Firenze, we need a quick escape!"

She nod her head with a wicked grin and lurched back as her cheeks puffed up, lips pursed, then she threw her head forward and unleashed a humongous fireball that absorbed the fire Lazarus made and blew past the Sins before striking the far wall of the tower, blowing it to fiery smithereens.

"Go! Wave grab Esdia!" yelled Najenda when she and the others took off in a dead sprint toward the hole, Nemo recovering first since he could see with his mask.

Without a word he sprinted toward Kurome with his knives at his side, but before he could reach her he slid onto his knees at the last second when Yuuki's broadsword passed by right over his head.

"...I won't let you…" she said softly before engaging Nemo in a brutal sword fight, her diminutive size and lightning fast movements, coupled with her eyes, allowing her to overwhelm Nemo and put him on the defensive.

"Giovanni, Esdeath, don't let them escape!" ordered Grimmjaw before he quickly dodged a wave of fire from Lazarus, the Warden's gloved hands smoking after the attack.

"Focus on me young man!"

"Shut it, old fool." snarled Xerxes as purple smoke drifted out from his sleeves and a swarm of massive purple disembodied hands appeared around him.

Meanwhile Esdeath and Giovanni were chasing after the fleeing Night Raid, Esdia and Freya, the former General using several of her ice techniques to try and halt their retreat.

"Giovanni!"

"Way ahead of you Ice Queen!" grinned Giovanni before his cheeks puffed up and he spit out a glob of golden mucus that he shaped into a large spear.

Esdeath then clapped her palms together and a wall of ice sprung up from the ground, launching Giovanni forward through the air right over their prey so he could cut them off. Wave snarled and handed Esdia over to Kurome before Grand Chariot's cutlass was in his hand and with a yell he activated the armor and rushed Giovanni.

"Ho shit!" he exclaimed when Wave's version of Neuntote struck his spear and rattled his entire body down to his bones, the sheer force Wave had behind him overwhelming.

"Out of our way!" roared Wave as he unleashed his wrath on Giovanni, hounding him with progressively stronger attacks.

"Firenze, take Najenda, Freya and Esdia out of here on your back then come back for us!"

"If you say so, Runt!"

Firenze stopped when she reached the hole's entrance and as soon as Najenda was there next to her, Kurome transferred Esdia to her care and Tatsumi gave Freya to Firenze.

"Hold on everybody!"

She felt them all grab onto her and she jumped off the ledge just as one of Esdeath's pointed ice columns brushed past them. She growled and refocused her attention to Tatsumi and Mine, the former cloaking himself in Incursio's armor and forming his spear.

Esdeath gasped a little when the draconian armor, looking just like it had when she witnessed its transformation during his fight against her and the late Great General Budo. What made her hesitate was that she was in fact seeing Tatsumi again for the first time in years and, for her, she felt her heart flutter so much she had to struggle to maintain her composure.

"Long time no see, Esdeath…" said Mine in a low tone as she pulled Extase off the strap around her waist and gripped the scissor blades tightly.

"Indeed…" she replied, their own tiny world separating itself from the carnage occurring around them.

"So Akame was right...you didn't die...you came here. How?" questioned Tatsumi, wanting to get answers out of the former General.

"That's my little secret Tatsumi~" Esdeath grinned at him as she switched her rapier to her other hand, flashing them the Ouroboros tattoo. "I've gotten some new tricks up my sleeve since our last meeting...I wonder how you'll fare?"

She gasped when Neuntote burst out of her lower back after the spear skewered her, Tatsumi staring her down darkly and standing up after throwing it as soon as she finished talking while her guard was lowered.

"Seems to me you've gotten rusty, General." he replied coldly.

Esdeath coughed as blood rolled down her chin and from the wound, staining her old uniform while she dropped to a knee and growled. She looked up at him and gripped the spear, turning it into ice that shattered into little particles that faded away, before she stood up slowly.

"S-Sorry, but...that won't work….on me…" she said when the black lightning emerged from the wound.

Mine and Tatsumi were confused at first before they were horrified to see the ghastly wound heal itself up good as new, the blood turning to ash, and Esdeath pat her stomach a little when the regeneration completed. However, instead of grinning or smiling her right eye twitched as an uncontrollable rage unfamiliar to her began to boil up inside of her, her blood and instincts reacting to it and fueling her.

"What the hell?!"

Tatsumi whirled his head and saw Wave stumble back a little, a golden spear embedded in his right shoulder from Giovanni who had put it there even after he had his right arm cleaved off. Like with Esdeath Giovanni laughed as the limb regenerated itself, returning him back to full combat strength like it had never happened in the first place.

"W-What….how are they…" stammered Mine, terrified, when she looked around at the other people they were fighting and saw they too were regenerating after any injuries they sustained.

"Can't kill something that can't die, right~?" mused Salencia as she lifted her right hand and created a golden chain that she used like a grappling hook, taking her over to where Esdeath stood.

"Sorry...but you can't leave…" said Valencia shyly as she walked next to her sister, ten white and black rifles appearing from thin air behind her.

One by one the seven sins went to stand before the only exit they had, shoulder to shoulder with all of their weapons drawn. For the first time since the Revolution the survivors felt true fear, Kurome's hand starting to shake and Wave growling as he removed the spear from his shoulder and broke it in half.

"Esdeath….just what the hell did you become…" murmured Tatsumi as he clenched his fist out of a mix of anger and fear.

Esdeath met his gaze with her own and the wrath inside off her simmered down upon looking into his eyes, the old flame of her love for him coming up once more. She wanted to say something to him, or maybe even use her Trump Card to freeze time, take Grimmjaw's Arma and really freeze time just so she could be with him and talk.

" **Tatsumi!** "

A deafening roar followed by a loud crash came out of nowhere as Firenze in her true dragon form slammed into the face of the tower, her large clawed hand coming in through the ancient stone and ripping open the hole while batting aside the seven Sins like play toys.

"Exceptional timing!" said Wave when he hoisted Kurome onto her back and sprinted toward the dragon, Mine and Tatsumi following close behind.

Lazarus watched as he painfully heaved himself up to hiss feet, Yuuki at his side instantly to keep him supported.

"Yuuki...go with them…"

"...No Papa, I won't...I'll stay with you." she replied back quickly as blood rolled down her face from a small cut above her right eyebrow.

"Yuuki, my left leg is broken...I'd only be a burden, you need to go now."

"...No Papa, I-"

"I don't want you to die!" bellowed Lazarus with a harsh stare down at his adopted daughter, Yuuki's cold expressionless mask cracking when her eyes widened.

"Now go!"

Without her consent he picked Yuuki up and hurled her toward the others, Yuuki's eyes widening even more when Wave caught her in the air and leaped up on top of Firenze's head.

"No, Papa! Papa! PAPAA!" she screamed when her sword dropped from her hand and she started to struggle in Wave's strong hold, Lazarus watching as the dragon let go of the tower and took flight with her large wings.

Lazarus watched them go as he held his right side and shifted his weight onto his good leg, the smoke from the fires burning around them eventually covering up the hole. He sighed and looked toward the direction where he knew his enemies were recovering, his free hand clenching into a fist.

" _Once again...you're left to yourself after helping someone you love escape...funny…_ " he thought when from the smoke emerged the Seven Sins.

"That fucking hurt…" growled Giovanni as he snapped his neck back into place.

"But...now it's just him…" said Xerxes as he stared at Lazarus with a hunger for blood, the Warden standing resolute against the odds.

"What should we do…?" asked Valencia quietly.

"Take him prisoner...he'll stand trial for his treason." ordered Grimmjaw as he sheathed his sword, Salencia acting quickly by wrapping Lazarus in golden chains she summoned from a golden portal she created.

Lazarus didn't struggle and allowed himself to be captured, Esdeath eying him carefully as she approached with the others to secure him.

"I know of you, Ice Queen...the Empire's Strongest General…" wheezed Lazarus as he looked down at Esdeath. "If you're thinking of torturing me….for information...I won't tell you anything…"

"I won't be the one torturing, nor will I ever be. That part of me I left behind in the Empire, you'll be going to someone else." replied Esdeath with a smirk.

"Let's head back, everyone."


	17. An Old Flame

A/N Looks like my last chapter was wel receieved, which is good since I took a chance incorporating other elements into it from a certain other anime. Looking at you Chaos! XD. Anyways, secondly, all of the wonderful Guest reviews that are coming in from the users **The Amigo** , **Unknown ally** **,** and especially **Shadowlord** , you all dont have to leave your reviews on the first chapter. You can leave them on the current chapter you had read. It's a little wierd to see your reviews talking about chapter 15 on chapter 1 XD. If you cant, never understood how guest reviews work, that's fine, seeing what you guys think is good enough for me. Thank you very much!  
Also in other news in case anyone was wondering about poor old DLG my right arm is doing just fine and recovering well after my surgery, I get my stitches and splint off next Tuesday. Thanks for asking jeez, lol. Anyways, I hope everyone is still enjoying this fanfic, leave a fav and review and DemonLordGimpy will see you around!

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - An Old Flame**

 **\- Later that Day, around Dusk -**

 **\- Holy Capital of Zion -**

Esdeath sighed as she stood in the bathroom of her personal room in the house Maxwell had given to her upon arriving in the capital three years prior. Unlike the mansion she had as a Jaeger all those year ago, here she was alone, by herself, with nothing to keep her company except her own thoughts.

As she brushed her teeth after dinner she reflected once again on those times, the good and the bad. Since coming here she had always remembered them since they were her past, but today, after seeing Tatsumi and Wave and Kurome, even Mine, those memories had been stirred up even more so like pollen in a spring breeze.

" _What's more….is that...he…_ " she thought as she swished the tooth-paste infused water in her mouth and spit it out. " _He still had it…_ "

She wiped her lips with a towel and looked herself in the mirror with a steady gaze, making a concerted effort to look at every single facial feature that she had.

When she had seen Tatsumi and allowed her senses, her sixth sense she prided herself on for being to detect even the littlest things to look all over him, she had discovered that even after all these years, in that interior jacket pocket of his...that small little ice cross she had slipped into it before leaving was still there.

Esdeath at first had convinced herself that he must not have noticed it at first and that it was only by chance that it was still there, but the more she thought about it the more that idea was not believable at all.

" _There's no way he would have not noticed it until now...he's too smart for that...he must have found it._ " she thought as she went to the shower and turned the faucet on to let the water run warm. " _But then...why keep it…?_ "

Once the water was warm enough for her liking she started to strip off the pieces of her uniform and put them in a pile on the ground. She'd have to get replacements made because of the hole in the stomach region after being impaled and frowned since that uniform had been with her ever since she was in the Empire. She would have liked to have kept them since she still had a soft spot for it and the comfort and flexibility it offered her even in battle.

"Out with the old, in with the new I guess." she mused to herself after getting down to her underwear.

She stopped to look down at her stomach and gingerly put a hand against her skin where she had been impaled, rubbing it like she was double checking that it was real and it was her's.

She had felt pain before, like when she had cut off her own hand to avoid being killed by Murasame's poison, but being impaled in such a way with such force behind it had taken the cake. It had literally knocked the wind out of her and it was so sudden as well, and she cursed herself for letting her guard drop. If she hadn't received the strange liquid from Maxwell that turned her into a Homunculus or whatever she called it, that injury would have very likely put an end to her life or left her crippled at best.

On the other hand however...she had felt excited and sort of...glad about it. It was Tatsumi who had thrown the spear that had impaled her, and seeing that look in his eyes was practically a turn on.

" _That emotion in his eyes, that drive, that fire, that determination...the strength...it was so overwhelming..._ " she thought as she stepped into the shower after removing her bra and panties, the warm water washing over her nude body. " _Tatsumi...you've grown so much…._ "

Esdeath started to wash her hair first, running her hands through her long blue hair that she utterly loved, and closed her eyes to think some more. What she found was her thoughts always drifted back to Tatsumi and that glare he had given her, and that fact became more and more evident as she finished her hair.

"Tatsumi…" she whispered softly, her cheeks turning a slight shade of red.

Her chest started to get hot on the inside and placed a hand against the tiled wall under the shower head, water streaming down her head, hair and back as she looked down at the drain.

She felt the warmth grow and her right hand hung at her side for but a moment before she slowly started to bring it around toward her crotch. Her feet shuffled a little further apart and she pursed her lips a little when her fingertips brushed against the neatly trimmed triangle patch of pubic hair she had.

It was just as soft as her blue hair, the same color as well, and with her index and middle fingers she traced small circles over it.

"T-Tatsumi...I…"

She bit her lip when her fingers moved straight down to her pussy and she squeaked very lightly when she ran them along her folds slowly. Esdeath switched to her middle and ring finger and moaned softly as he pressed a little more firmly with her fingers, spreading her pussy lips apart a little more and making her even hotter.

Esdeath moaned a little when she finally slipped her fingers into her pussy and began to finger herself, masturbating in the shower to what her imagination cooked up for her. Tatsumi's name raced around in circles inside of her head and she couldn't stop thinking of him, what he looked like, how he could have felt, how she could have felt, and it was enough to craft together a lewd image in her mind.

She was so utterly focused that she was practically caught off guard when she reached her climax and she squealed, her toes curling up as she came from her stimulation.

"...H-Hyaa…..aahhh….." she breathed heavily as she stopped her fingers for a moment to rest, her fluids dripping onto the floor and mixing with the water as it flowed down the drain.

"... _Look at me...pleasuring myself in the shower like some horny adolescent…_ " she thought out of disgust as she pulled her fingers out of her pussy. " _How childish…_ "

Esdeath brought her hand up in front of her face and spread her fingers apart, her clear liquids looking right back at her and giving off a sweet aroma. Against her better judgement she blushed more and slowly brought her hand forward to her lips, her tongue touching the tips of her fingers first before she rolled and licked them sensually.

She didn't stop, even going so far as to slid her fingers halfway into her mouth, until her fingers and hand were clean and she could feel her fluids on their way to her stomach.

" _But...I can't stop thinking of him….Tatsumi…_ "

She smiled softly before she quickly washed the rest of her body and stepped out of the shower to dry herself off. After discarding the towel she combed her hair and slipped on a new pair of panties and a t-shirt she had set aside on the sink counter.

Her stomach growled and she stepped out of the bathroom to fix her dinner and immediately she froze when she saw Grimmjaw standing in the doorway of her bedroom, arms crossed.

"Hey." He gave her a smile, Esdeath grinning a little back.

"Hey. Thanks for telling me you were coming over." she replied when she walked past him, Grimmjaw following her into the living room.

"Well the door was unlocked and I thought it was okay, so...surprise."

Grimmjaw sat down on the coach and ran a hand through his white hair, the man dressed in casual clothes. Esdeath glanced back at him and chuckled while she fixed herself a sandwich in her kitchen, then she grabbed a bottle of wine and carried both items with her to the couch.

"Want some?" she asked, motioning to the win.

"Oh yes please, I'd appreciate that."

Esdeath grabbed two glasses and brought them back, sitting down next to Grimmjaw and pouring him a glass first before taking care of herself.

"So, _Pride_ , why did you come to my humble abode~?" Esdeath asked with a grin, using Grimmjaw's moniker as leader of their group.

"Just to talk, learn more about you since you're a foreigner and all."

"What else is there to know? I'm a former General of the now defunct Empire, and-"

Grimmjaw stopped her and looked at her with his one good eye, saying, "I'd like to know more, Esdeath. Those people we met earlier today...I want to know more about them and who they are, how they relate to you."

Esdeath opened her mouth and closed it again, her gaze falling to her wine as she took a sip from her glass and remained silent. Grimmjaw watched her closely before she sighed and leaned back into the couch, swishing her wine around in her glass.

"Ask away…"

"What are their names?" requested Grimmjaw without a moment of delay.

"Wave, Kurome, Mine and Tatsumi." Esdeath replied just as quickly.

He asked who they were and Esdeath answered him accordingly starting with Wave and going down the list until she finished with Tatsumi, then taking another sip of wine.

"So, to recap….Wave is a former subordinate of yours, of the Jaegers...and he wields a Teigu named Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot, Kurome is also a former Jaeger and a former Assassin of the defunct assassination squad, "Group of Terror", Mine was formerly a member of a branch of the Revolutionary Army that capitulated the Empire named "Night Raid", a group consisting of Assassins, and Tatsumi was also a member of Night Raid...and uses a Teigu that is named Demon Armor: Incursio, which is Grand Chariot's predecessor…"

"Right on the money." said Esdeath with an affirmative nod, Grimmjaw rubbing his chin and taking his first sip of wine in thought.

"What was your relationship with Tatsumi?"

Esdeath's eyes widened and she stopped mid-sip, Grimmjaw catching her reaction and noting it for later as he watched her lower her glass and stare at him.

"Why do you want to know?"

"You reacted very differently to the mentioning of his name over the others...don't try to hide anything from me Esdeath. Nothing escapes my eyes...not any more."

He pulled up his eyepatch that hid his damaged left eye and Esdeath gasped silently when the eye revealed to have his Ouroboros tattoo in place of his pupil. Esdeath growled a tiny bit but sighed and gave Grimmjaw a slight smile, Grimmjaw chuckling as he lowered his eyepatch down over his eye.

"So...what is it?"

"Tatsumi...he...you remember him from when you turned him back to being human, right?"

Grimmjaw pondered for a moment and he remembered the face, nodding his head as he relaxed a little more. "Ah, yes, I remember. So that was him?"

"Mhm...indeed. And...well, Tatsumi is an old flame of mine…"

"Old flame…? Isn't he younger then you…?"

Esdeath nod her head and she couldn't help but smile a little as she ran her index finger along the rim of her wine glass, remembering Tatsumi when she had first met him.

"Mhm, but not by much...and for a little while...we actually did share something…"

 **\- Three Years Prior -**

 **\- Uninhabited Island -**

Crabs, tropical fish, palm trees, a white sandy beach bordering an endless ocean, and clear blue skies with some clouds in the distance. Esdeath looked around in complete shock with Tatsumi next to her as they stood on the beach, the younger man's facial expression frozen in horror.

They stood there for a few moments still trying to grasp what had happened after they were caught in the bright purple light before Tatsumi glanced at Esdeath, the expression gone.

"M...Ms. Esdeath...hurt me." he said at first, Esdeath raising an eyebrow. "But don't leave any words and make it something momentary, please."

"Tatsumi…"

She smiled with a tiny little blush of embarrassment and toyed a little with her cap while she held her long rapier up to her chest.

"To think you had such interests...as I thought, we're truly meant for each other…"

"No, that's not what I meant!" exclaimed Tatsumi frantically, Esdeath's blush vanishing with her smile as she looked at him blankly.

"It might be that we're under some illusion cast by that guy just now, and if that's it, some pain might be enough to wake us up!"

Esdeath examined his words for a few moments before she nod and turned to face him. "Understood. Here I go."

Without warning Esdeath leaned forward in a hunch, held Tatsumi's head by his cheeks and kissed him fully on the lips with a hint of gently softness to her, much to the latter's surprise. As soon as she did so however the General pulled back and returned to her analytical, serious attitude as she observed the landscape once more.

"It isn't an illusion, the sensations are too real." she remarked, a light breeze passing through her long hair. "The smell of the salt water, the ocean breeze, the temperature and humidity...it's probably all real."

"Which means…"

"It's most likely the ability of that guy just now...were we teleported to a different location…?" she asked openly to herself, Tatsumi's cheeks losing their redness as he grasped the situation they were on.

"Teleportation...can he do something like that!?"

Esdeath looked over her shoulder at him and slid her blade back into its sheath, tapping the hilt with her fingernails as she touched her finger to her lips in a thinker pose, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Within the Empire, there are forty eight super weapons called Teigu. I have heard that within those using the lost mysteries of this country, some Teigu have spatial manipulation abilities."

Tatsumi was taken aback by the claim, visibly shocked. "Whaaaat?! Amazing…"

While he was busy thinking himself about their mysterious assailant with the hood and unique scar across his face, Esdeath was doing the same with that dangerous mind of hers that had allowed her to be so feared.

" _It's probably an ability possessed only by a select few, even among Teigu...just who is he?_ "

She was pulled from her thoughts by Tatsumi lightly jogging across the sand at her rapidly looking left and right as he did. "So then is this some...some coastline within the Empire, perhaps?"

"Calm down Tatsumi, I'm here." she said as she turned toward him again then crouched down, placing her hand against the sand. "For now, let's look at our surroundings."

The ground beneath the sand rumbled and instantly she and Tatsumi were carried high up into the sky by a massive pillar of ice, stopping only when Esdeath cut off the flow of energy. She stood up and with Tatsumi they looked around in every direction and discovered they were in fact stuck on an island in the middle of the ocean, no land within sight whatsoever.

"Ocean all around us...so this was an island!"

"Well, this is quite the pretty landscape." said Esdeath before she brightened up a little and smiled slightly. "It's as if we're on a date, isn't it."

"...You sure are calm." he muttered with a glare at Esdeath, who looked at him again with an aloof expression.

"Among Teigu, there are those like mine that control ice. Or even ones that allow you to control those you kill as if they were puppets. You can't go on if you don't keep an open mind."

Tatsumi sighed a little and murmured something under his breath as he looked back out over the ocean, Esdeath's gaze softening again as she took a step toward him with her arms half extended.

"Back on subject...this date-like situation~!"

She hugged him from behind and pulled him into a hug, her late tits squishing against his back and causing hm to lose his footing a little. Before she could continue to ogle him the ice column shook along with the ground beneath them and they looked to their right, seeing a monumentally sized figure pick itself up from the tropical island forest and look right at them.

"A colossal Danger Beast!"

Tatsumi's shock quickly morphed into intrigue and worry since the look of the massive, humanoid danger Beast reminded him of a certain flamboyant doctor and his terrifying creation. While he thought to himself about the similarities between this situation and the time he and the rest of Night Raid fought the Jaeger, Esdeath was harshly phased.

"I have no mercy for hindrances." she uttered coldly as she summoned a wall of razor-sharp ice shards in the air just as the monster rushed toward them.

" _Weissschnabel_!" bellowed the queen of ice as she sent her icy weapons forward as fast as bullets.

The monster brought its huge arms up to take most of the punishment but the sheer amount and force Esdeath put behind the barrage caused it to fall backward still, stopping its momentum and giving time for analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

However, when it lifted itself up with a vengeful expression, Esdeath grinned and crossed her arms in amusement.

"Hoo…~. It's unexpectedly tough. This is becoming interesting."

"Um, that spot on it's head...doesn't it look fragile?" questioned Tatsumi, Esdeath nodding her head.

"Mm, so you noticed it too. As I thought, we're suited for each other!" she declared as she dropped her hand to the ice column they stood on, a bluish light emerging from the contact. "Grauhorn!"

A thick pillar of ice sharpened to a lethal tip grew from the pillar at a rapid pace, the monster quickly ducking to the side to avoid being skewered through the forehead. Esdeath's grin widened as her blood got even more excited by the Danger Beast's will to survive, her blue eyes soon blazing.

"Still so tenacious…"

Suddenly a battle cry sounded off behind her and faster then lighting Tatsumi sprinted across the giant spear of ice she had just made, Incursio's key held tightly in his hands.

"Tatsumi!?" she cried out, her cold exterior breaking for her care for him to shine through.

Tatsumi leaped from the ice and swiftly drove his blade through the chest of the bound and clothed masculine figure bidding from the star-shaped cut in its forehead, the Danger Beast's eyes widening when the blow to its weakness killed it instantly. As the beast fell and Tatsumi leaped back onto the ice, Esdeath smiled happily after watching the display of daring strength and even blushed.

"Splendid...I thought to charm you by showing you a good moment...but for you to just charm me even more…" she said softly.

Her little moment was interrupted by a massive force smashing into the base of her ice column and break it in half, the General going forward and down with the top half and seeing the cause was a second humanoid Danger Beast.

Like a light switch Esdeath returned to her cold, calculating and lethal personality as she leapt off the ice into the air and locked her gaze on the second Danger Beast. She curled herself up slight, her Teigu releasing a huge amount of energy that took the shape of a massive cylindrical block of ice, as big as the first Danger Beast that towered over the trees, and sent it ramming into the second Monster and crushing it beneath its sheer weight and force.

Esdeath landed softly on the top of the ice and grinned a little with the death of their second opponent confirmed, Tatsumi looking up at her and admiring her prowess, seeing for himself why her nickname was "Empire's Strongest General".

A little later to help their bodies relax and the adrenaline rush to fade, the pair sat under the shade of some palm trees, Esdeath on a fallen log scribbling in her book and Tatsumi eating from a makeshift bowl they found a little earlier after scavenging.

"It seems that there were only two of them. So this seems to be a hiding place for new types of Danger Beast…" said Tatsumi before he set the bowl down. "At any rate, we're in a tight spot. What shall we do after we're done resting?"

"We'll investigate our surroundings first. We need to understand various things." replied Esdeath without looking up from her book.

"That's true...there are too many mysteries."

Tatsumi stood up and scratched his head as he walked away, Esdeath bringing her eyes up to look at him for a second before dropping them again to her book. She drew one last line and stopped her pencil, looking over the doodle of Tatsumi she was drawing while they were talking and frowning.

" _Hmm...it doesn't resemble him…_ "

As the day went on the two worked together to scavenge for more food and investigate their surroundings, Esdeath taking her cap off half-way through to let her head breath due to the tropical weather. There were times she messed around with him, like putting a large flower on top of his head as a hat, she laughed as he freaked out but once he threw it off and he saw her laughing, he couldn't help but share a snicker too.

They managed to catch a wild pig to use for food, they celebrated over that, and son after that Esdeath ended up taking off the top part of her uniform revealing the white-grey bikini top-like bra she wore underneath. She laughed happily again when Tatsumi freaked out and tried hard to keep his gaze averted from her generous bust, but she always could see when he would sneak a glance.

Eventually day turned to night and after feeding themselves, Tatsumi and Esdeath sat on the beach under the stars, the tropical heat replaced with a cool, relaxing sea breeze.

"Time really flew by...it's already night…"

"It was fun though!" Esdeath happily exclaimed. "And I'm sure of where we are now. Currently, we're on an uninhabited island far to the southeast of the Empire."

"F-Far Southeast?!" stammered Tatsumi.

"That's right. Far enough to be in a different time zone...during our exploration I found several flora and fauna described in reference books, but they were all native to the far south. And the deciding factor is the position of the stars. If you look, you can figure out our general location."

"So we were thrown that far…" Tatsumi hugged his knees a little closer to his chest and looked up at the night sky, Esdeath turning her head and smiling softly at him with a slight blush.

"Which means...that you and I are the only two people on this uninhabited island."

"E-Eh...yeah…" Tatsumi scratched his cheek and turned his head away slightly.

"However, despite these circumstances...I have figured out a way to get back."

Esdeath stood up and wiped the sand off of her skirt and hair, Tatsumi looking back up at her with wide eyes. "Oh?"

"However, I'll need you to help. Alright?"

"Y-Yes!"

Tatsumi jogged a little to catch up with her as she walked away from him down the beach, the full moon shining above them and casting its soft white light on the and and the water and the foliage of the island. They walked on the beach for a few minutes, Esdeath unbuttoned top shirt of her uniform blowing slightly in the breeze with her hair until she stopped.

"Ah, there's some kind of symbol on the ground." pointed out Tatsumi when he noticed a glowing purple seal burned into the sand.

"As I thought, there was a secret hidden where we arrived." mused Esdeath while putting a hand on her hip.

"So we can only move to places marked like this?"

"Yes. Judging from that area of activation, he cane probably only move a few people at a time. And I can also tell it uses up a huge amount of energy." explained Esdeath as they looked at the seal marking. "I doubt he can do it over and over, it seems there are many limitations."

Tatsumi looked toward Esdeath as they put the puzzle pieces together behind the biggest mystery of their situation. "Which means that if we keep watch over this spot…"

"The gate may open at some point, since it was most likely him that threw the Danger Beasts here. This is our first way back."

Tatsumi felt a rush of relief wash over his body and he visibly relaxed, Esdeath catching this and smiling a tiny bit before she began to slowly approach Tatsumi.

"And so, before we go to the more tangible second way back,"

"Second way back?"

Tatsumi looked inquisitively up at her before she suddenly hugged him tightly, thrusting her big tits into his face while she smiled happily with a blush and giggled.

"We're finally alone together. Let's get to know each other more~!"

Tatsumi and her fell down onto the sand and he blushed at their position, Esdeath on all fours over top of him with her knees hugging his waist slightly and her left hand gently cupping the left side of his jaw.

"W-Wait, time out…"

"Do you want me to stop~?" asked Esdeath with a playful grin. "Then let me hear your story. First off, where did you learn the basics of swordsmanship?"

Tatsumi gulped a little bit but he steeled his nerves against the embarrassment he was feeling and recalled his memories.

"A soldier who had retired from service lived in my village...apparently he was a martial arts instructor too. He was good at teaching...and then…"

He went on to tell Esdeath about from the retired soldier he had learned how to be a blacksmith as well, and Esdeath giggled when she heard of his mishaps that led to a tongue lashing by the firebrand.

"I see…~. You must be skillful to have learned how to do all that."

"You too Esdeath...you look like someone who can do everything." remarked Tatsumi when he was allowed to sit up after Esdeath leaned back to sit on her folded up legs.

"I'm rather ignorant of the fine arts...like my subordinate's flute playing. At first, I had no idea what part of it was so good."

"Hmm...So, you weren't born in the Capital?" Tatsumi asked, Esdeath nodding.

"That's right. I'm from the Northern Frontier Lands. Have you heard of the Partas Clan?"

When he responded with a no Esdeath smiled as she recalled her clan and told Tatsumi the story of it and what they were skilled at, being Danger Beast hunters, and how she herself was the daughter of the clan chief. At the end of her tale, however, Tatsumi was left in a shocked state upon hearing that her entire clan had been wiped out by a rival and she was the only survivor.

"Do...do you miss them? Your clan…? Your father?"

"I mourn for them, yes...but the fact remains they died because they were weak." Esdeath shrugged a little while frowning, but soon her kind-looking smile returned. "Anything else you would like to know?"

"Then...I'd really like to see just what your Teigu looks like."

Esdeath's smile widened slightly and she giggled a little before she leaned over him some again and went to grab one of his hands with her own. Tatsumi blushed slightly when she lifted it up, his index finger dragging through the valley of her large tits before she placed it on the unique tattoo on her skin just above her cleavage.

"My Teigu is here...this." she said in an almost alluring way.

"Huh?"

She explained to him the story behind how she gained her Teigu, named Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract, and that it was no physical weapon she would carry on her person...her person _was_ her Teigu. Demon's Extract was her blood, it flowed through her, from her heart to every corner of her body, and back again.

He was terrified at what it was, but at the same time...awed.

"T-That's…"

Esdeath giggled and she lowered herself down even more, only stopping when her tits were touching his chest, her face inches away from his.

"Incredible…? Yes, I know…~"

"One...more question...is that...the reason why you like torture…?"

"Ingesting Demon's Extract, I will admit...amplified some aspects of my personality to an extent, but...with torture, that grew from being a Danger Beast hunter in my youth."

"So...you haven't liked it from the very beginning?" he asked with a twinkle of hope in his eyes.

"I believe so." said Esdeath with a shrug. "If I had to give it up...I wouldn't mind it all that much, since I like fighting more."

Tatsumi struggled to contain all of his joy on the inside, his wish of possibly convincing Esdeath to defect and switch sides becoming all the more a reality. Esdeath smiled once again as she ran a finger along his jawline and pulled him from his thoughts, Tatsumi blinking a few times.

"...I've imagined this moment so many times…" murmured Esdeath with a blush again, Tatsumi gulping a little.

The position was awkward, he could feel her chest touching his with nothing but a bra separating their skin from touching. But, for some odd reason, despite everything he had heard about Esdeath and how brutal she was, being with the General and seeing her alone was eye-opening.

Tatsumi had forgotten that she was human, with human feelings, and it was obvious how much Esdeath liked him. It would take the attention span and cognitive ability of an oblivious manga protagonist to not realize it.

The problem was that his body was in conflict with itself, sitting over him was this gorgeous woman that, even for a short while on the island, hopefully, they could get a little more intimate. Yet this woman was also the enemy, the leader of a special time specifically created to kill them.

"...Hey….Tatsumi…?"

Tatsumi was pulled from his thoughts by Esdeath, who was looking softly into his eyes still with a shy expression.

"What is it…?" he asked, Esdeath fidgeting slightly.

She remained where she wa for a few more seconds before she leaned in, closing the distance between them and gently kissed hi, on the lips, Tatsumi's eyes widening. His hands twitched a little, fighting over what course of action to take, but in the end his human side won over his logic and hugged her around her lower back. Esdeath felt his arms wrap her and she blushed more, her body fully relaxing and laying down on his as they continued to kiss.

Esdeath held the kiss for a few more moments before she slowly pulled away and looked Tatsumi in the eyes shyly, Tatsumi doing the same.

"...Esdeath…"

"...Yes...Tatsumi…?" responded Esdeath in almost a whisper.

"...I...I…" he murmured, his brain losing the fight against his more human and primal instincts. "Please...because we're alone...I want to…with...you…"

 **\- Present Day -**

"And so...the two of you…"

"It didn't go that far...we kissed and touched one another for a while, but later the transportation seal turned on again and we returned home...eventually I found out he was the enemy, and...the rest is history…" said Esdeath after taking the last sip of her wine.

"But...you still hold feelings for him?"

Esdeath nod her head slowly with a slight blush and Grimmjaw chuckled before putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it firmly.

"Sorry to say Esdeath, but...if it comes to it, we may have to kill him…" he said in a solemn tone, Esdeath nodding her head in understanding.

He then left her side and departed from her home after finishing his wine, leaving the glass on the kitchen counter. Esdeath looked at her empty wine glass for a few moments and closed her eyes, thinking back to Tatsumi's smiling face and that intimate moment they shared on that island.

" _Grimmjaw...I'm sorry, but...killing Tatsumi...I don't know…_ "

She stood up to go and wash out her wine glasses and continued to think of the encounter today and stopped when she remembered the girl that was with them, the one with the silvery white hair.

" _And that girl...the Princess...why do I feel like I've met her before…_ "


	18. A Reunion under the Moon's Soft Glow

A/N Ok boys and girls (if there are any, I know at least one), this is an Anime PSA. **If you have not taken the time to watch the anime Darling in the FRANXX...YOU ARE MISSING OUT!** Oh my fucking god it is absolutely freaking amazing and I love it to pieces, if you havnt started YOU NEED TO RIGHT THE FUCK NOW.  
Okay I'll stop that for now...I could rant for hours about DitF, so back to the matter at hand. Good news is I got my splint off my arm so now begins 6 weeks of rehab! Fun times since I have to basically learn how to move my arm again. I cant even fully extend my arm yet and it hurts. But hey, I should feel even better then before the surgery and I'll have a cool scar on my elbow! I think its gonna be like, what...4-5 inches long? Yeah it's a big one, my first too! Never had surgery before so yeah, I can scratch that off the bucket list even though I never planned to have it on there in the first place? Anyways...back to the story.  
Leave a favorite and review please, I'd love it, and. **WATCH DARLING IN THE FRANXX DAMMIT.** Thank you and see you next time everyone :)

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - A Reunion under the Moon's Soft Glow**

 **\- Doroline's Torture Dungeon -**

He didn't know how much time had passed since he had been knocked out after the fight at the Megalith, so when he started to wake up he was confused by the lack of light and thought that it was night out. However once the noxious smell of blood struck his nostrils he gasped and immediately took in all of his surroundings, and quite frankly he wished he had stayed unconscious because of how horrified he was by what he saw.

The sounds of anguish and pain coming from the seperated floors of the massive chamber he resided in was unbearable, and slowly but surely he realized that he himself was shackled up to an x-shaped iron cross at the very bottom of the pit, surrounded by a lake of blood. Then he realized that, save for his underwear, he had been stripped of all clothing and left bare for all to see...which meant nothing since no one else was around to.

" _Where the hell am I…_ "

"So the Warden of the Megalith himself decides to grace my dungeon with his presence…~"  
Lazarus got a chill up and down his spine when he heard the feminine voice come from behind him, outside of his vision which left him unable to know who the voice belonged to.

"Where am I?" he asked, the unknown woman laughing at his question.

"Just a special little place of mine...you know, just above us on the surface is the Holy Palace. So I guess you can say that while heaven is above...down here, it's hell~"

Lazarus choked a little on what he was going to say next, then entered a harsh coughing fit that ravaged his lungs and produced blood that dripped from his mask onto the ground.

"Ohh...the poor baby is already hurt...that mask is burning you constantly, right…?" asked the woman as she slowly started to walk around the right side of the platform.

"What does it...matter to you…?" wheezed Lazarus as he kept coughing.

He painfully looked to his right and watched as Doroline appeared with her hands behind her back, her pointed ears twitching slightly as she smiled sweetly despite the horrifc scene around them.

"It matters to me because, Mister Warden, it won't be as much fun for me if you're already hurting."

Lazarus felt a terror he had never felt before creep its way into his heart at the tone the woman's voice was, Doroline's contrasting smile turning even more wretched for a split second as she took her hands out from behind her back and unveiled the coiled black whip. Lazarus prepared for the worst, but Doroline shocked him when she tossed aside the whip and grew out two devil wings in order to float up to his height and touch the sides of his helmet.

"Let's take this wretched thing off…~" she said softly, her soft smile returning.

She produced a key that Lazarus thought he'd never see again and watched it as she moved it to the locking mechanism of the dreaded helmet and turned it. A hiss escaped from the cracks between the mask and his head, and Doroline hummed a nursery rhyme to herself as she slowly peeled off the helmet from his damaged skin.

The feeling of the accursed Arma that he had been forced to wear leaving his skin was heavenly, Lazarus almost crying it was so good. Doroline tossed the helmet into the blood lake and grinned as Lazarus hung his head, his silver hair matted down with sweat.

"Does that feel better?" asked Doroline, Lazarus taking a couple of heavy breaths before nodding.

"It has been...too long...since I have felt the air kiss my face…"

Doroline giggled at him as she rubbed her hands together and looked over Lazarus' body, her one visible eye examining all of the joints and other weak areas like she was a surgeon preparing for an operation by observing her patient. Lazarus slowly lifted his head up, showing his heavily scarred and disfigured face to Doroline, who grinned at the burn scars and wasn't even phased by them in the slightest.

"Yet...I now know why it was removed...and why I was brought here…"

"Oh~? You do?" questioned Doroline, Lazarus grimly staring down at her.

"I know of you...Torturer...those who have had the displeasure of meeting you before coming to my prison have told me of your brutal ways…"

Doroline blinked a few times and giggled innocently as she toyed with a lock of her hair, like she had done nothing wrong. It made Lazarus sick to see her react in such a way to an accusation, especially one dealing with the torturing of innocent people.

"...You sickening creature...are you even human anymore…"

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Mister Warden…I was never a normal human in the first place." interrupted Doroline as she tapped the tip of her right ear. "I'm a Danger Beast~"

Lazarus sputtered and looked at her in complete disbelief, the fact, the very idea of a Danger Beast with such a human likeness completely preposterous on all counts. But here he was, not a single drug in his body to hamper him r his vision, this woman before him could only be telling the truth, yet he still doubted.

"Oh...don't believe me? Here, I'll show you!" she said happily as she removed the black cap she wore.

First thing he was shown were a pair of small red horns poking up through her green hair, an obvious marker for someone gullible, but Lazarus' doubtful expression remained strong.

Doroline puffed her cheeks out as she put her cap back on and floated in place for a few moments, even twirling around to show off her wings. Lazarus gave her nothing back except the same empty stare and she sighed at his tenacity.

"You're making this really difficult...Mou….I guess I'll just do this."

Doroline raised her right hand to her mouth and without a moment's notice she bit down onto her hand, Lazarus' eyes widening when she pulled off her skin and from the surprisingly deep puncture wounds oozed blue blood instead of red. She saw the change and smiled big at him at her victory, showing that all of her teeth were sharpened to a point and when she opened her mouth slightly, their arrangement along her jaw was nothing like that of a human.

The largest row was at the outer edge, followed by a smaller secondary row of teeth, then a third that went into her gums beneath her tongue, with all three rows the teeth getting progressively smaller in size the further along her jaw they went from her chin.

"*Blue blood, horns, pointed teeth…but...a human body…" thought Lazarus in terror as Doroline giggled, her tongue cleaning off her rows of teeth before she closed her mouth again.

"Now do you believe me~?" asked Doroline playfully. "Although, this wasn't what I used to look like...Maxwell fixed me up good and proper, just like with Mister Warsaw~!"

"Fixed…? As in…"

Doroline nod her head as she pointed to her skin and motioned to the horns hidden by her cap. "Yup! My horns used to be longer and I used to have red skin before I met Maxwell, and with her help I look normal now. Plus she gave me this really awesome new eye of mine that lets me do all sorts of fun things…"

Her happy-go-lucky, almost childlike personality started to melt away and reveal her cold and menacing true colors, her meaningful smile morphing into a vile smirk with her teeth showing. Lazarus felt a chill and all of self-imposed internal warning sirens sounded off and shrieked at him, telling him to get as far away from this thing before him as possible.

Doroline tilted her head to the left, her red-colored bangs shifting over so Lazarus could catch a glimpse of her hidden left eye, and whatever he saw made him struggle and fight like hell to break free.

"Huh…? What's wrong? The puppy wants to leave?" asked Dorolinee in a soft tone that betrayed her frightening expression.

"You can do whatever you want to me, but those people in the prison and the men who served me...spare them…" pleaded Lazarus, Doroline's ears twitching before she giggled.

"Why should I? They're already dead~"

Lazarus gasped as if a spear had impaled him through his gut, his heart tightening up and his face contorting into an look of pain too great for him to bear. Doroline giggled as her abnormally long tongue rolled out along her lips and curled upward in amusement at her prey's dismay.

"Mhm...after you were taken from the Megalith I had Gaster clean up the place for you. Needless to say...he slaughtered everyone there and painted the walls red~"

The chains binding his arms were strained to their limits when Lazarus tried to lunge forward at Doroline, showcasing an anger he hasn't had to for quite some time. His eyes were wide with fury and he wished he could strangle Doroline with all his strength, the woman Danger Beast giggling at his futile efforts with a devilish sneer that befitted her personality.

"Such fire...I can't wait to break you~"

"You monsters! They were good, innocent people!" snarled Lazarus, the chains straining to keep him in check. "Damn you all to hell!"

Tears of sorrow and pain started to roll down his scarred cheeks while blood from his palms for squeezing his fingers into them so hard dripped onto the ground, Doroline seeing this and walking forward under his right hand. She opened her mouth and stuck out her long tongue, Lazarus stopping and watching in horror as she happily lapped up the droplets of blood, even moaning slightly from the taste.

"Mm...thank you for the meal…~" she said after drawing back, licking her lips clean of blood. "Now for the fun…"

She then pulled her bangs back and over her left ear and Lazarus felt terror grip his heart at the monstrosity that was Doroline's left eye. Where a normal iris and pupil should be, her iris was dark purple with a white transmutation circle made up of many intersecting triangles and runes, where at the center as her "pupil" was a pentagram.

"This eye was made specifically for this place…." She waved her hand and from the air itself matter began to take shape and construct itself, making wood and metal until finally to Lazarus' horror a fully built torture device straight out of the dark ages stood right beside him, ready to be used.

"I'm not going to lie Mister Warden, sir...I'm going to do a lot of horrible things to you. You might even pass out from the amount of suffering you'll be experiencing, so I'll be sure to wake you up if you do~"

"...Do your worst, foul creature…" murmured Lazarus as he focused his gaze on her, a fire brewing within. "You will not break me…"

"We'll see~"

 **\- Two Hours Later -**

The other floors of the multi-tiered dungeon had stopped in their normal routines, both torturters and those being tortured looking down from the edge at the very bottom of the pit for the source agony that trumped all others. Even Maxwell herself had descended from her throne on high to the hell below to bear witness to the carnage Doroline was inflicting on her latest victim.

" _I will admit...this man...Lazarus...his will truly is on another level…_ " thought Maxwell with a slight frown as she watched from the first tier floor.

Down in the pit of blood on the lonely island, the lake was dotted with the broken shards of all the torture devices that Doroline had created for Lazarus, their destruction brought upon by being used to their breaking point. The human Danger Beast had blood splattered all across her clothes, and there was only more in store, whereas Lazarus was in the most sorry state he had ever been in.

The man was now strapped to a short wooden post in the hunched over position on his knees, Doroline behind him with a scourge in one hand and a crossbow loaded with serrated arrows in the other, a mad look in her eyes. She brought the crossbow up and with the distinct woosh of the arrow flying down the track, Lazarus grit his teeth when the tenth arrow pierced his back, digging into his flesh, then howled when Doroline brought the scourge around and inflicted deep, jagged lacerations on his back.

This was Doroline's favorite whip, one that has its roots dated back to the ancient times of Judecca where whipping was one of the most common punishments for a crime. What she was using, a Scourge, was set aside for only the worst of the worst due to the fact it could inflict the most brutal of wounds, and it was for that she absolutely loved it.

Loved it so much she modified it herself and at the tips of all twelve thongs she had attached jagged pieces of metal or glass, just to caused that extra bit of damage to squeeze out as much pain as she could. And the crossbow was to just add insult to injury, especially when she would forcefully wrench the serrated arrow out of Lazarus' back to use them again.

"How are you feeling Mister Warden…~? Ready to give in?" she asked, stopping for a moment.

Lazarus writhed in pain as he used the wooden post he was tied to for support and slowly turned his head to stare at his torturer out of the corner of his eyes. Expecting an admittance of defeat, her smirk was wiped clean when he gave her a weak grin and spit out some blood.

"...I-I can...do this….all day…"

Doroline ground her teeth together and brought the loaded crossbow up, firing an arrow that drove its way through Lazarus' cheek and out his mouth, the Warden yelling from the pain and biting down harshly on the metal shaft of the arrow.

"Doroline!"

She looked up at Maxwell standing at the edge of the first tier, and she smiled when her Empress held out her hand, showing a tiny little vial filled with the unknown reddish pink liquid.

"Administer him this...then you won't have to worry about keeping him alive…"

"Yes, my Empress~!"

Maxwell dropping the vial and Doroline caught it when it reached her, Lazarus coughing and staring at the vial with half-open eyes. Finally Maxwell's words registered with him after seeing the smirk Doroline gave him and he felt a terror far greater then what he had earlier seep into his very soul.

"N-No...please…"

"Come here...time for a drink~"

She walked up to him and wrenched his head back, pulling the arrow out of his cheek and forcing the liquid down his gullet before she stepped back and pulled the ten other arrows out of his mangled back. A few seconds of silence followed until he was consumed by a torturous agony and a storm of black lightning, his veins bulging out as the mystery liquid transformed him into a Homunculus.

When it was all over Lazarus gasped for air as steam rolled off of his skin, all of the wounds he had suffered through healed to perfection, even his damaged lungs and his scarred face were gone. For a brief moment, the feeling of air passing through his lungs and the touch of his fingers on his face brought him an immense happiness, one that made him forget where he was in that short amount of time.

"Now for the real fun to begin~"

With nothing to hold her back Doroline unleashed her full arsenal onto Lazarus, the people and torturers watching her quaking in horror at the Pandora's Box she had opened. Hour after hour Lazarus was subjected to the worst of the worst, each torture method used designed to literally make the person suffer to the greatest degree until they died, yet he didn't.

Each and every time he was spared the cold embrace of death by the liquid Maxwell had given to Doroline, and each time the silent wish in the back of his mind, the wish for death, grew stronger and stronger.

The Sicilian Bull, Impalement, the Judas Cradle, the Lead Sprinkler, an Iron Maiden, the Rack, the Judas Chair, Lazarus was put through his paces until Doroline had his Hanged, Drawn and Quartered, much to the displeasure of her audience. As Lazarus sat in a pool of his own blood, his limbs slowly regenerating after he had been cut apart into four pieces, Doroline giggled like a little school girl at his suffering.

"Still refusing…~?"

"...Giving me...that god-defying liquid….was the worst decision you could have made…" wheezed Lazarus as he slowly sat up. "Because now...I can't die...so you'll just...have to keep...torturing me….forever…"

"That's where you're wrong, Lazarus."

Maxwell appeared next to him after taking her time travelling down from the first tier to the pit where he and Doroline resided and smirked.

"Yes...that liquid made you immortal...but that immortality can only last so long…" she went on to explain, Lazarus groaning as his legs regenerated past his knees.

"Throughout this display, you were not staying alive the entire time...I counted at least ten times where you "died"...and were brought back. There is a limit to how many times you can die...and judging by how slow it's taking for your limbs to regenerate now...that limit has been reached."

Before he could say anything Doroline grabbed Lazarus by his hair and lifted him up, his legs finally regenerating fully, and then wrapped him in thick metal chains to prevent him from escaping.

"Crucify him in the main square. It's only a matter of time now, and if he dies before he tells us where the Princess and her allies are...so be it."

 **\- Several miles away from the Megalith -**

"Papa….Papa….Papa…." sobbed Yuuki as she hugged Kurome, the small girl still crying about Lazarus long after they had left the Megalith in a hurry.

"That girl...she must have really loved that Warden…" said Firenze while he rested on the ground next to Tatsumi and Mine, Najenda sitting across from them with Leone at their fire.

To give Yuuki space they had set up their camp a few feet away from the one Kurome and Wave had made for her, Esdia joining them soon after to help soothe the child since she knew her the best and the longest.

"And what about you? How are you holding up?" asked Leone with a motion at Freya, who was sitting on a fallen log by herself with her hands in her lap.

"...F-Fine….I...guess…" she whispered, her eyes glued on her feet.

"You okay? What's wrong?"

Freya rubbed her hands together shyly and pushed over a small pebble with her right big toe, feeling its smoothed yet gritty surface against her skin and how strange it was compared to what she was used to at the Megalith in her "home".

"...Nothing...it's just...I'm seeing, and...hearing….touching things I haven't in a long...l-long time…" she said softly as she toyed around with the pebble some more. "It's...so different...then what I've known…"

Tatsumi and Mine looked at Najenda with pained expressions and she nod her head in understanding, the group collectively agreeing with one another on Freya's situation. They were all feeling some sort of sympathy with the girl, and considering their own pasts they could at least sympathise with her on some aspects about what she had gone through.

Firenze almost cracked a small smile before she caught wind of Yuuki crying again and she growled, turning her head with a frown. "Oi, little brat! Stop crying, you're gonna give me a headache!"

"Hey, Firenze, that's-"

Dirt was sent into a flurry when in the blink of an eyes ready eyed Yuuki appeared right on top of Firenze pressing the razor sharp edge of her cleaver sword against her neck, anger and sadness swirling in her eyes.

Everyone remained motionless, Yuuki staring deeply into the genuinely shocked Firenze's eyes with shaking hands, her silent breaths almost nonexistent. Firenze blinked once and then grinned devilishly as she gripped the sword and easily resisted the girl's strength of two hands with one.

"Hooo? The runt wants to fight?"

"Please let's not, there doesn't have to be a fight." muttered Wave with a groan before Yuuki pushed back with her blade.

"...You...don't….u-understand...Beast….woman…." she said in an almost broken tone, Firenze raising an eyebrow.

"Hm? Understand what? The concept of family?"

In a similar turn of events Firenze had Yuuki on her back and was standing over her, flames escaping from the gaps between her teeth as she put a hand on her hip and glared down at her.

"Allow me to educate _you_ on something runt. Do you think _you're_ the only one who's been this way?!"

Yuuki opened her mouth to argue but she held her tongue and continued to angrily glare at Firenze, her hands still shaking.

"First off, I'm the last fucking member of my species, so you can take what you said and shove it! At least you _had_ someone to call family, I don't have shit outside of these schmucks! Secondly, these people have gone through hardships that don't even compare to your poor little "pity me, boo-hoo" backstory." ridiculed Firenze harshly, Tatsumi and the others remaining silent to avoid drawing the wrath of the female Danger Beast onto them. Even Esdia was kept from saying a word by the touch of a hand and head shake from Mine, the former princess nodding back.

"I mean hell! You're friends with this Freya girl right? You know what sort of shit she went through right? Who gave you the right to act all sobby?! Fucking man up!" shouted Firenze before she sat back down cross-legged with a huff and growled to herself. "...And I'm sorry for calling you all schmucks….I didn't mean it…"

"None taken…" said Wave with a slight chuckle.

Yuuki slowly sat up in the upright position and looked down at her hands and the hilt of her sword, her tiny fingers still shaking from the torment happening inside of her and she quickly closed them. The campsite remained silent except for the flickering of the fire until Firenze growled again and reached over, pulling Yuuki next to her and looking down at her.

"Relax brat...knowing these guys here, first thing in thing they're going to go to this Zion place and rescue your Pops."

Caught off guard by the Danger Beast's unexpected show of affection and care Yuuki didn't know what to do at first, so she just stared awkwardly at her. A few seconds later though, a toothy grin from Firenze was enough to make her visibly relax.

"There, problem solved. Just loosen up a little Brat."

"...Why do you call me Brat…." murmured Yuuki as she willingly allowed herself to rest against her.

"She does that to everyone, really." said Tatsumi with a grin. "It's not derogatory, it's her way of mingling."

"...Oh…"

Later Firenze went with Yuuki and Esdia back over to the campsite she shared with Wave and Khrome at the behest of Tatsumi, and soon after their fire went out as the four went to sleep. Mine and Tatsumi sat together shoulder to shoulder, holding hands, smiling a little as they looked at the fire with Najenda and Leone, Freya still looking at her hands.

"It's been so long since we've been in a situation like this…"

"What was that Leone?" asked Tatsumi, the lioness smiling a little and motioning to all around them.

"This, out in the middle of nowhere, all alone. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Mine nod her head when she understood and chuckled slightly, tightening her fingers around Tatsumi's a little. "Mhm…"

"Look at us...reminiscing like we're old…" said Tatsumi before he felt a slight aminisoty from Najenda and he quickly took it back. "E-Eh, not old, uh…"

They all laughed at how he could still get scared by Najenda's aversion to talking about her age, Freya bringing her head up and glancing at the direction of their voices. Hearing how light-hearted and spirited they could be despite the current circumstances brought a previously forgotten warm feeling back to her, and she couldn't help but smile.

Soon they too doused the fire and went to sleep with the sleeping bags they had, the full moon above acting as their night light. It felt like he had just settled in when a gentle finger touch came to his shoulder and he was stirred from his slumber, his eyes tired and not yet awake.

It was still dark out, and Mine was still asleep next to him, so he assumed it was just an unrelated contact between them as they slept. Then he felt it again and he rolled over, eyes shooting wide open when the girl from the coastal city was crouching down next to him, her pink eyes actually glowing a little in the darkness.

She mad the shush motion and tugged a little on his shirt, Tatsumi looking at her in shock and doubt before he could clearly see the woman held no ill-will in her gaze. He took a quick look at Mine and then slowly eased himself out of the sleeping bag, standing up with the woman only after he was totally free.

" _How did she…_ " he began to think before she wanted him to follow her, taking a few silent steps backward.

Tatsumi only took a single step before he felt a familiar presence in his mind and he froze. " _Tatsumi...is that the human from the sewers…?_ "

Tatsumi looked quickly at the second camp and caught a glimpse of Firenze's blood red eyes staring at them.

" _Yes...she wants me to follow her._ "

" _Given how she helped us back then...ugh, just be careful Runt. If anything bad happens I'll be there._ "

" _Thank you Firenze…_ "

Tatsumi ended the mental discussion with her and continued following Nirvana, the two sneaking away from the camp as quietly as humanly possible. Once they got far enough away they walked normally side by side, the woman remaining dead silent the entire time and Tatsumi shoving his hands in his pockets.

" _Where could she be taking me? If this is a trap, I swear to God…_ " he thought with a slight scowl before they cleared a small hill and she stopped.

"Huh, what is-" He was stopped by a hand from the woman when she turned to look at him, the moonlight illuminating them.

She pointed down into the valley they were next to and Tatsumi followed her extended finger until his heart skipped a beat at what he saw. Within a camp of their own was a collection of people, ones he did not recognize from this far away, but the one he was concerned with was a figure wearing a glaring, white object on his head.

" _It's that guy, from the sewers...shit they're this close to us?!_ "

The woman saw his surprise and she finally lowered her hand from his mouth, Tatsumi looking at her again. Now he was even more confused then before, this woman was definitely affiliated with White Mask, but why was she making such a concerted effort to help them and risk punishment, or even death?

But, first things first, he had to find out just who this woman was.

"Who are you…?" he asked in whisper, the woman blinking before she crouched down.

With her index finger she slowly drew out a name in the soft sandy dirt at their feet, and once done she stepped back a little for the moonlight to illuminate it and make it easier to see.

"Nir...vana….Nirvana?" questioned Tatsumi, the woman nodding. "Nirvana...well, my name's Tatsumi."

She nod her head in a way that told Tatsumi she already had known his name and it struck him as odd, why would a woman from another country know his name? Nirvana noticed his confusion and she crouched down again, starting underneath her name and quickly drawing out the word "Empire" in the dirt.

"Empire? As in...this place?" Nirvana shook her head and pointed at him, then at the word again.

"Me? I'm from what used to be the Empire...but…" started Tatsumi before Nirvana nod her head and then pointed at herself.

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow and she pointed at the word and then at herself again, and once he put two and two together his eyes widened.

"You're...from the Empire?"

Nirvana nod her head and she went on to right something else, a full sentence this time, and Tatsumi read it aloud as she wrote it in the dirt.

"Saved you...I saved you? From what…?" Now his interest was fully grabbed and he looked at Nirvana intensely, trying to figure out just who she was and when they had met before in their lives at some point in the old Empire.

Nirvana went to writing again, which brought up another question in Tatsumi's mind to ask her about, why she couldn't just tell him, until he gasped a little at the single name she wrote. The name was unmistakable, one from the very earliest days of being a member of Night Raid, and one of his first real opponents where he didn't have Incursio.

"...Zanku…" he murmured, and one look at her face he finally remembered her.

One of the nights before his eventual death, he had managed to get Zanku to abandon his assault of two women walking back to their home at night. He remembered it clearly now...one of the women was in fact a younger Nirvana.

Once she saw the recognition on his face she stood up and finally smiled a little, holding her hands behind her back as she looked upon her savior. Tatsumi blinked a few times, still unable to fully register the revelation, so to help him Nirvana took a step and wrapped her arms around him again in a gentle hug.

"How...how did you end up here…? What happened to you?" he asked, his thirst for information heightened to its maximum.

Nirvana pulled away from him and through a series of hand motions and words drawn in the dirt she told him of her journey to Judecca with her mother to escape the conflict of the Empire, and how she lived a relatively good life until she was injured heavily and fully healed in exchange for her service by her savior.

"...W.D. Gaster...that's White Mask's name...and he made you his...puppet…?" asked Tatsumi, Nirvana nodding her head and making hand motions like she was playing a violin.

"Violin...the violin he has? You...you're linked to it?"

Nirvana then made a sharp hand chop to mimic breaking it, and after that she covered the unique mark inscribed on her left breast that was visible and made the wipe away motion.

"Break the violin...and you're free?" asked Tatsumi finally, and Nirvana smiled big and nod her head enthusiastically.

Tatsumi returned the smile, glad that he was finally understanding the mysteries behind this woman before him, but...there was still one last question he had to ask, one that he itched to know.

"Um...Nirvana? I have to ask...why not just tell me all of this?" he asked, Nirvana's smile fading slightly to one of shyness and nervousness. "You can talk to me, you know…"

Nirvana shuffled her feet a little before she slowly began to open her mouth, the moon's light finding its way inside and revealing the truth for Tatsumi. He felt another blow to his heart when he saw a void, an absence in her mouth, where only painfully healed and scarred nub was left.

As an act of dominance or a reaction to disobedience, Nirvana's tongue had been cut out, leaving her unable to form words or speak at all without sounding like a neanderthal.

" _Why...why must every person I meet...suffer…?_ " he thought in despair, Nirvana closing her mouth again and looking him in the eyes softly.

Tatsumi clenched his jaw muscles and balled his hands into fists, shaking out of anger and the want to rectify all of the sins the country had committed. But as soon as that anger had risen in him, it simmered when Nirvana gently took his hands into her own cold hands and held them as if to say it was okay.

"Nirvana…" He looked down at her, but instead of sadness he was given a soft smile instead, one of a woman who had suffered a great deal and yet still held on to hope.

And now, her hope had finally come in the form of him.

"Nirvana, I swear to God I'll break you free of that bastard's hold...we have something to do, but as soon as that is done, I'll come for you." he said with a determined tone, Nirvana's smile wavering when she teared up from the sheer amount of joy.

So much joy that she couldn't contain it and released it by standing on her tip toes and kissing Tatsumi straight on the lips without warning, Tatsumi's eyes shooting wide open. "

" _If Mine were here...I think...we'd both agree...to let this slide…_ " he thought before he relaxed and let her kiss him.

She pulled away, blushing shyly, and took a step back as a soft breeze blew across the plains between them. Nirvana smiled and before she left she opened her mouth and slowly mouthed two distinct words, ones that brought a smile to Tatsumi's face.

"You're welcome, Nirvana...you're welcome."

He waved a little and he departed from her, Nirvana waiting silently for him to disappear over the hill before she looked down at her feet and held a hand over her heart.

" _Please...hurry...I don't know how long It'll last…_ "

Tatsumi then quickly jogged back to the camp and woke everybody up from the dead of sleep, everyone except Firenze that is, and after providing a quick explanation they quickly packed up and left their campsites in a hurry. The little sleep they got would have to be enough to get them to their destination...the center of influence in Judecca, the Holy Capital, Zion.


	19. A Father's Love

A/N Alright everyone im back! Sorry for the long hiatus, part of it was because I needed a break after school, and another part was that I got hit with Writer's block again. Leave a fav and review please!

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - A Father's Love**

 **\- Holy Capital of Zion -**

 **\- The Next Day, Early Sunrise -**

"So this is the capital… what was it called again?" asked Najenda, Yuuki coming up to her side as they crest the small hill to overlook the lush valley beneath them.

"The Holy Capital of Zion…" she murmured softly, the group gazing out over the largely gothic architecture populated city.

Steam or smoke clouds, they couldn't discern between them, rose up from many of the smoke columns and or pipes that came up from various buildings and roofs. From where they stood they could see the walls that protected the city were tall, maybe even taller than the walls of the Imperial Capital, and made of a mixture of concrete and metal with defensive emplacements built in and on top of it.

"Seems there's only one point of entry, the front gate...and of course it's heavily guarded…" muttered Wave as he looked through a pair of binoculars at Zion.

"Really? Let me see."

Wave handed Tatsumi the binoculars and he found the front gate, a rather ornate and heavily decorated gate with two golden statues of some unknown creature guarding each side, as well as regular armed guards. Tatsumi growled when he noticed one person coming in show a passport-like document to one of the guards before they were allowed in.

"Well that kills any opportunity of sneaking in through the front…"

"What does?"

Tatsumi pointed to the gate and handed the binoculars back to Wave. "In order to get in you have to show a passport or whatever, and trying to get one of those will be impossible."

"Hmm...the only real option then is to wait for nightfall…" said Najenda with a sigh.

"Don't you think they'd be expecting that Boss?" asked Leone with a glance at her, Najenda crossing her arms over her chest.

"Most likely, yes…"

Yuuki narrowed her eyes slightly and balled her hands into fists, her hatred showing itself from behind her usually calm and aloof personna. Esdia noticed her and immediately went to her side to hug her, Yuuki jumping a little but smiling a tiny bit as she accepted her friend's affection.

"So we're waiting until nightfall...just thinking that crazy mask guy and his cronies were that close to us…" said Mine with a shudder as she sat down on an exposed rock.

"Tatsumi, you never really told us how you came across those people…" murmured Najenda as she sat down as well, the others following suite.

Tatsumi stiffened up slightly and he sighed as he found a seat next to Mine and held her hand, looking around at everyone while thinking of what he would say.

"Well...I wasn't the one to discover them, I was brought to them...by the same woman that saved us back in the sewers."  
If he didn't already have their attention, that tidbit of information certainly caught their attention and he had their full focus. He went on to tell them how Nirvana had awoken him from his sleep and took him to a vantage point overlooking where the masked man, W.D. Gaster was his name he said, and his allies were sleeping.

"...T-They were...really that….close….." she whispered in a nervous tone, Firenze patting her on the back.

"Why exactly did she save us again? Is there a reason?" asked Esdia, Tatsumi nodding his head.

"Yes...Mine, Najenda, Leone you're not going to believe this, but...that woman, she's someone that I saved from that murderer in the capital, back when I first joined Night Raid."

"Wait...Zanku?" remarked Najenda.

"She was someone you saved from that bastard? How did you know?" asked Leone, leaning forward slightly.

"She told me…" he caught himself and waved his hand. "Well, told me as in she wrote it out for me...in the dirt."

"To stay quiet?"

Tatsumi shook his head and sighed again before pointing to his own mouth. "No, because she couldn't tell me herself...her tongue had been cut out...most likely by that Gaster person."

Visibly everyone was shaken by the revelation, Esdia herself cringing heavily from the thought while Najenda and those he had known since the days of the Empire kept their reactions under control.

"I see...anything else about her? That we should know?"

Tatsumi shook his head, preferring to keep the knowledge about the kiss they had shared a secret until it was time to tell Mine and Firenze. Najenda nod her head in approval and looked over to the city, opening and closing the fingers of her prosthetic hand a few times anxiously.

"And...to wait…"

 **\- Inside the City, Main Square -**

Lazarus woke up by coughing out blood, his eyes slowly opening to a hazy world filled with blurry objects and faraway voices he could hardly make out. He tried to move but whenever he did he would wince and grunt when pain shot up both of his arms and legs.

" _What….w-what the hell happened….everything…..everything hurts…_ " he thought, the fuzziness in his vision getting clearer and clearer.

Blinking seemed to help this effect wear off, so he blinked whenever he could until finally he could see somewhat clearly...what he saw was a sight he thought he would never have to see. He was high up above the ground, at least twelve feet, and he could feel his arms held out at ninety degree angles from his body, his feet straight below him in a vertical line.

When he looked at one of his hands and tried to curl his fingers he groaned and cried out in pain, feeling first then seeing the iron wedge driven through the palm. He glanced at his other hand and paled even more at the same sight, a blood covered hand with a nasty looking spike forcibly hammered through his skin.

Lazarus then painfully rolled his head forward and gulped at the sight of his feet crossed over one another, a third nail driven through them. He looked down at the dried puddles of blood at the base of whatever he was nailed to, and it was that which made him realize the grim truth.

" _O-Oh God...I'm on a crucifix...I've been crucified…._ " he thought, terrified, at being in the same position as Karna Masta was with his family.

Rather then freak out and make his situation that much worse by creating unnecessary pain in trying to free himself from the cross, he relaxed and groaned as he supported himself with his nailed feet so that his shoulders wouldn't end up dislocating too soon. He glanced around and saw various citizens of the capital staring at him from below near the edges of the square, and a painful glance over his shoulder showed him his cross had been erected right in front of the Holy Palace.

" _So she intends to show me off as another message...or possibly use me as bait to draw Yuuki and the others out so that she could capture them...or worse…_ "

"Hey~! Mister Warden~!"

Lazarus cringed at the familiar sounding voice and lowered his gaze to below his feet, spotting Doroline hopping up and down with a big smile on her face as she waved at him. He didn't bother responding to her and tried to spit on her, but he torturer giggled and avoided the saliva easily.

"Oooh, that's not very nice, trying to spit on the girl who came to say hello to you~"

Dorolone huffed and crossed her arms across her big tits, but smiled again as she sprouted her devil wings and slowly floated up into the air to Lazarus' height. She poked him playfully on the forehead and giggled at his "go eat shit and die" expression that was given back to her, the former Warden getting even more infuriated with the woman.

"*Or is she even a true woman….this thing is a Danger Beast…." he thought out of disgust.

"Soooo, how's it hanging~?" she asked, Lazarus gritting his teeth and snarling at her obvious joke. "Oh come on, you can lighten up a little bit~"

"Shut it...monster…"

Doroline frowned at him again and tapped her fingers against her arm after crossing them in thought, her visible eye scanning all of Lazarus' body for something he didn't know. After a few moments she shrugged and pressed her hand against his left arm, then forcibly ripped the nail driving into his palm out, causing him to cry out loudly in agony.

"F-Fuck! Dammit all that fucking hurt!"

"I know…~ But for being so mean to me I have to punish you...it'll cost you an arm~" she replied with a smile.

Before Lazarus could react in any way she stabbed the nail through his arm just above the elbow joint, the Warden shrieking in pain for but a moment before he watched in terror as Doroline opened her mouth and buried all of her razor sharp teeth into his arm.  
Lazarus screamed to the heavens as Doroline, with hardly any effort, ripped off his arm from the elbow down and grinned evilly with the twitching limb caught between her teeth. While he writhed and suffered she held onto his arm with one hand and proceeded to eat it, clothes and all, as if it were the leg of a chicken.

" _O-Oh god...I might get sick…_ " he thought with a disturbed expression when Doroline pulled in the hand with her long tongue and chewed happily on it, the bones in each finger crunching and snapping apart.

When she swallowed the last bit she licked her lips free of any blood and sighed happily, patting her stomach while giggling again. "Fuwa….that was a good meal, although you were a tad bit tough~"

"Y-You think...that make me talk….? G-Give in…?" he questioned, Doroline cocking her head to the side a bit.

"What ever do you mean?"

"You didn't just….come out here for...a stupid reason to say hello to...a dead man like me…" murmured Lazarus while blood continued to ooze from his severed arm. "T-That bitch Maxwell...t-told you to try and...procure information from me still...right?"

Doroline smiled and licked her lips again before putting her hands on her hips and sticking her tongue out at him in a teasing manner.

"You're too smart for your own good, Mister Warden, you ruin all the fun."

Lazarus laughed painfully half out of victory, half out of tiredness from blood loss and looked at Doroline with half open eyes, a grin coming out to mock her.

"...You'll have to try harder then that…" he said where, just for good measure, he pulled in all of the fingers on his other hand except for his middle finger and flipped her off.

Doroline's right eyebrow twitched slightly, telling Lazarus he had succeeded in ticking her off and earning him a victory, a small one, but a victory nonetheless. She leaned back and kept glaring at him with a slightly unhinged feeling to her before she giggled again and waved her hand, as if dismissing him and his gesture as a funny joke.

"Oh well~ Guess I just have to wait for you to die so that I won't ever have to see you again!"

She giggled as she stuck her tongue out in a teasing manner, Lazarus raising an eyebrow as she wiped some blood that was on her chest and licked it. In a split second that devilish, psychotic, blood thirsty smile showing off her razor sharp teeth made an appearance again and she licked her lips.

"That look on your face tells me you don't know what I mean…" she said with a hiss as her slit pupil narrowed more, her expression that of pure hunger.

Lazarus got a chill up his spine when Doroline cupped his cheeks and looked deeply into his eyes before kissing him, the Warden gasping when her teeth bit a little into his lower lip and drew blood that she hungrily lapped up before pulling away, sneering.

"When you die….you'll be my next meal…~"

Without she pat his cheek and flapped her wings a little before floating back down to the ground, Lazarus paling considerably. He gulped and hid his terror well behind a veil of indifference and watched Doroline walk away from the square, shaking her hips left and right. Once she left he brought his head up and scanned the rooftops of the city, looking for any sign of salvation of rescue.

It was a fruitless endeavor however, because he knew there was no getting out of this situation. Either he died up on the cross and become that monster's meal, or he is rescued by his adopted daughter and her friends, only for them all to fall into a trap. It was a disturbing and quite frankly terrifying reality, but he steeled himself regardless and prepared himself for what was the come eventually.

" _If this is how I go...then so be it. I am not afraid._ "

 **\- Nightfall -**

"Get ready everyone, it's night time." murmured Najenda as she went around nudging everyone awake, the moon shining brightly overhead on the clear starry night.

Firenze groaned as she woke up and rubbed her eyes, Tatsumi and Mine waking up next along with Wave and Kurome, Leone, the Freya who was helped up by Tatsumi. After everyone was awake Najenda assigned Wave and Firenze to watch over Esdia and Freya with her, so Tatsumi, Mine, Leone and Kurome, the ones best suited for stealth, could go with Yuuki into the city to find Lazarus and get him out of there before anyone knew of their infiltration.

"Firenze, if we need to get out of there quickly we'll be needing your assistance again." said Tatsumi, the Danger Beast woman nodding her head and smirking.

"Sure thing Runt, I'd be there in a heartbeat to scoop you lot up." she replied with a grin.

Tatsumi chuckled and stood up with Mine, the latter grabbing Extase and smiling a little as the moonlight reflected off the polished silver of the scissor blades, Najenda herself catching sight of it and immediately being reminded of Sheele.

"You know, Mine...you look a lot like Sheele right now…"

"I do…?" she asked, Najenda nodding.

"The cheongsam, Extase….yes, with how you look now it's almost like you two could be sisters." stated Najenda with a smile, Mine returning it as she ran her hand along Extase's blades.

"Yeah...she was my closest friend….she was the one who got me interested in cheongsams too…."

They stood there in silence to honor the memory of their fallen friend before they readied themselves and looked to the silent capital of Zion, the city devoid of most of its lights unlike the Imperial Capital back home, where there would always be some illumination from the night life. Tatsumi gave a nod to Yuuki and the young girl pulled her hood over her hair before taking off, the group following her toward the giant walls of Ziona that would most certainly be guarded at this time of night.

"How are we going to get over?" whispered Kurome, but Yuuki shook her head.

"Follow me….there's a secret way…." she replied as she went to the right along the face of the wall.

They kept on this path until Yuuki stopped at a large pile of rocks and with some help from Leone they moved aside one of the largest rocks to uncover a secret hole that must go under the wall. She motioned for them to follow as she crawled down into it, Tatsumi shrugging as he and Mine went in with Kurome and Mine behind them.  
The tunnel was a little tight quarters but after a few minutes of crawling Yuuki dropped down into a portion of the city's sewer system, the others dropping down next until everyone was out of the tunnel. Yuuki then climbed up and brick by brick she closed off the tunnel from view, covering their tracks.

"...Follow me, I know the closest exit out…"

"On your six, Yuuki." replied Leone with a grin as they followed her through the sewers, stepping on the concrete path next to the sewer water channel.  
They made a right turn up ahead at a fork and it took them to a dead end where a ladder led up to a manhole cover at the surface. Yuuki told them to wait and climbed up the ladder first, reaching the manhole cover and slowly pushing it up to peek out onto the street to ensure that the coast was clear for them.

After a few moments she gave them a hand wave and climbed out onto the street, holding open the cover for them to get out as well. When Leone cleared the manhole cover Yuuki slowly lowered it down again without making a noise and pointed to the rooftops, the others understanding her and making their way off the streets to avoid being seen. Once on the roof Tatsumi silently equipped Incursio and looked around the city skyline with his enhanced vision, scouting for any one that could prove to be a problem to their incursion.

"Alright, let's move, we're in the clear. Yuuki, where would Lazarus be…?" asked Tatsumi, Yuuki blinking once before she pointed toward the city's center.

"There...the Holy Palace…."

"Oh great...the place where we should be the farthest away from…" she sighed and quickly grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Alright then, let's do this then."

She unleashed the power of her Teigu and she grew her feline animal characteristics, her ears twitching slightly. With her transformed they began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, remaining perfectly silent under the cover of darkness as they came closer to the central square where the Holy Palace resided.

Yuuki stopped them when they reached a building at the edge of the massive square and she looked out over the square, and after a few moments her heart sunk when she saw a distinct absence of any crucifix crosses.

"...H-He's….he's not…."

"What is it Yuuki?" asked Mine, looking at her worriedly.

" ...This….this is where...they put up...crosses…" she said, her heart rate starting to go up when she couldn't see her father anywhere.

"Crosses?"

"She means crucifixes...Esdia's family must have been put up here in this square, and Yuuki brought us here, expecting Lazarus to be here as well." explained Tatsumi, Yuuki slowly nodding her head.

"...He should be here...where is he…I need to go looking for him…"

Before she could go Leone held her back by her shoulder and shook her head, looking up at the Holy Palace.

"Not a good idea, this place is entirely out in the open, and who's to say that this is all but a trap to get us here so that we could be captured? That your Uncle wasn't even here to begin with and that he's somewhere else entirely?"

Yuuki clamped up when she was told the truth, a truth that even she had taken into account as they made their way to the city's center, a truth that she didn't want to admit was right in every way. She clenched her hands into fists and grit her teeth slightly before she turned her back on the square.

"...Fine...we go during the day…"

"I can do that, actually...my Teigu allows me to turn invisible, so I'll be the one to do it." suggested Tatsumi to several head nods before they departed from that building to leave the city.

As they left a pair of sinister eyes watched them from one of the windows of the Holy Palace's tower structure, a devilish laugh escaping her lips.

"And now that they're gone…~"

She pressed a button on a panel before her and silently one trap door among many opened up in the square and slowly Lazarus upon his cross was raised up from the holding chamber beneath the cobblestone, the Warden breathing fresh air finally for the first time in several long hours.

"She….hid me down there….because...they were here...I can feel them…" he breathed heavily as he looked out across the skyline of Zion, just barely seeing a few forms leap over the wall in the distance. "Yuuki…"

 **\- The Next Day -**

" _I do not like this place at all…_ " thought Tatsumi as he stood perched atop a building and looked over the hustle and bustle of Zion with a concerned look.

All he heard was talk about the "Goddess" and that they would be brought salvation by her hands, and a bunch of other religious prophecies and sayings he had hardly paid attention to. He was here on a mission, and with but a glance he immediately spotted his target at the central square, a giant cross that stood out among the buildings and even from this distance he could see someone on it.

Quickly and silently he leapt from building to building while invisible until he arrived at the same place he was at the night before and clearly saw Lazarus on the cross with his head hanging low but still alive. Tatsumi cringed at the sorry state the Warden was in, with an arm missing and the nails driving into his feet and his one remaining hand.

" _Poor bastard…_ "

He then leaped into the air and landed onto one of the arms of the cross, his landing jolting Lazarus a little and causing him to gasp.

"Huh, who...w-what's going-"

"Shhh, shh, Lazarus, it's me, Tatsumi….I'm invisible using Incursio, my Teigu. I'm right above you, on the cross." whispered Tatsumi silently, Lazarus remaining still and keeping his head looking slightly down at the ground.

"...How do I know...you're not just some imaginary voice caused...by the blood loss…?"

Tatsumi smirked a little and reached down, touching his hand to Lazarus' arm to tell him he was very much real, something the Warden became utterly overjoyed about and brightening up.

"Tatsumi...thank god...Yuuki...is Yuuki safe…?"

"Yes, she's safe…, we're actually-"

"Don't even think about trying to rescue me."

Tatsumi choked on his own words, the statement from Lazarus completely catching him off guard. He blinked a few times and looked down at the Warden, Lazarus slowly moving his head to the right left so he could look out of the corner of his eye back at where he suspected Tatsumi would be.

"Please...don't come for me. It's a trap waiting to be sprung...they hide me at night to prevent you from rescuing me under darkness...and they show me during the day while under the eyes of Maxwell's Archangels." he explained, Tatsumi listening intently to everything he said.

"Who are these Archangels…? Are they perhaps-"

"Black armored knights with red t-shaped visors in their helmets...yes, those are Archangels...they are her personal guards and her strongest soldiers...do not underestimate them."

Lazarus then coughed heavily and vomited up some blood, splattering it across his shirt and groaning as it dripped from his chin onto the cobblestone beneath him. When he gathered himself he controlled his breathing and looked out over the city, slowly curling the fingers of his left hand until they were closed into a fist around the nail.

"Tatsumi...her best lieutenant...Warsaw...he is not here right now...in Judecca…"

"The cyborg?"

Lazarus nod his head and coughed a little. "Yes...if you are going...to free this nation from her grasp….you must do so while he is not here….if he is….that creature is her strongest shield….he won't let any of you get near her…"

Tatsumi could see and hear it for himself that these were the words of a dying man, one who accepted his fate and was trying to pass on all of the information he could possibly give to give them the best chance at success. He shook himself from his thoughts when he saw Lazarus glance back a little and smile, his fingers un tightening as he let out a tired sigh.

"...Keep my Yuuki safe...please...promise me you will…"

Tatsumi closed his eyes and squat down a little in order to put his hand over Lazarus' and hold it, nodding his head and vowing to himself he would.

After tell that to the Warden himself he left Lazarus alone to return to the others outside of the city, knowing that Yuuki would not like the news one bit and they would most likely have to restrain her.

" _Sometimes I hate being the messenger…_ "

 **\- Five Days Later -**

The sun started to go down and Doroline stood with Maxwell at the doors of the Holy Palace, looking at Lazarus with narrowed eyes. The warden had finally let his shoulders go slack and after the third day they had finally, painfully dislocated from his shoulders and he was on the verge of death, starving and very, very low of blood.

"I admit...he has tenacity…and he never said a word?" asked Maxwell with a glance to Doroline, who shook her head.

"Nope~ He never did~"

Maxwell chuckled a little before she turned swiftly to walk into the Holy Palace. "Keep an eye on him, I have a feeling the girl he adopted will be coming this time...after being away from her precious Lazarus after this long...there's nothing that would be able to stop her."

"And do you think she'll bring the others with her~?"

"Of course I do, and I give you permission to devour anyone that you manage to capture...even the girl."

Doroline squealed happily and she hungrily licked her lips as she looked up at Lazarus for another few moments before following the Empress into the palace, the massive doors closing shut behind them.

Meanwhile outside of the city Yuuki stood on the hill overlooking the city, visibly shaking with wide eyes as she saw the sun set low enough to perfectly illuminate the distinct cross rising up in the center of the city. Najenda and the others were talking with one another and Tatsumi took one look at Yuuki, feeling sorry for her before looking back at Mine and laughing at a joke made by Leone.

"Wait, Yuuki!"

He whirled his head around when KUrome saw Yuuki dart off toward the city, her giant blade at her side. In a flash Tatsumi and Wave cloaked themselves in their armor and gave chase, Mine and Leone doing the same with the latter activating her Teigu.

"Dammit, that girl!" growled Najenda, Firenze groaning.

"...W-What happened…?" stammered Freya, Esdia holding her hands and patting them gently with hers.

"It's okay, everything is going to be fine...I hope…"

"Yuuki!" yelled Tatsumi as they chased after her, the small girl not even hearing them as she quickly scaled the wall and dropped down in between two soldiers brandishing their rifles.

They didn't even have a chance to say anything before she decapitated them with one swing of her cleaver sword before bounding forward into the city skyline, Tatsumi and the others hot on her tail. They flew across the rooftops until Yuuki charged out into the central square completely out in the open, going right for the base of the cross Lazarus was on.

Her eyes then widened and she gasped when Doroline walked out from behind the wooden cross and smirked at her, Tatsumi and Wave hitting the cobblestone a few yards behind Yuuki next, then Leone and Mine.

"Oh shit…" murmured Wave under his breath as he instinctively summoned his Neuntote to his grasp, Tatsumi doing the same while Mine brought out Extase.

"Hello everyone, welcome to Zion~" said Dorline with a giggle as she licked her lips.

"...Out of my way...that's my…"

"Yes, your Daddy, I know~ Me and him got really intimate over the past few days, I would always come to see him."

Yuuki growled at her, her grip on her sword tightening before Doroline giggled and pointed upward, a single drop of blood falling down onto her shoulder as she did.

"However...I think he finally reached his expiration date~"

Yuuki's heart stopped and she slowly followed the direction of the torturer's finger, eventually resting her gaze on Lazarus high up on the cross and truly feeling her heart stop at the destitute and horrible state her adoptive father was in. Ragged, bloody and deprived of nutrients, the man had finally passed away while on the cross, his head hanging low while his body dangled limp from the nails in his hand and feet.

"Oh no…" murmured Mine under her breath as Yuuki dropped the tip of her sword to the ground and froze up, her eyes wide in horror.

As she stared at Lazarus lines of soldiers appeared from the many streets and alleys that connected to the central square and brought up their rifles, a couple of Archangels even appearing and waking up next to Doroline, remaining completely silent.

Tatsumi stood close to Mine while Wave held his spear with both hands, looking around at all the soldiers while Yuuki eventually collapsed to her knees as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"...P-Papa….P-P...Pa…..Pa…." she said in almost a broken whisper, her lower lip trembling as terror gripped her heart.

They braced themselves for the outburst but it never came, and slowly Yuuki turned her head back to look at Tatsumi and the rest, her eyes empty of all emotion.  
"...Go."  
In the blink of an eye Yuuki was at one of the lines of soldiers with her sword, and with a huge swing she bifurcated five men at once, spraying their blood and organs all over the ground while she herself remained utterly stoic.  
Tatsumi took the hint and he quickly hoisted Mine onto his back before dragon wings grew out of his back to allow him to soar up into the sky, Wave and Leone vacating the area in a hurry as well with some soldiers opening fire on them as they left. The Archangel's flanking Doroline were prepared to go after them before she stopped them and giggled, pointing at Yuuki with an outstretched index finger.

"Leave them be...Gaster has his sights on them...take care of her~"  
One of the Archangel's uttered a garbled sentence before they hunched over and black metal wings bristling with razor sharp feathers grew out from disks built into their armor, the pair immediately soaring toward Yuuki with their short swords drawn.

The small girl saw them coming and engaged the two elite knights in close-quarters combat, using her abilities to remain one step ahead of them for a majority of the engagement before Doroline parted her hair and grinned evilly as her right eye glowed.

"That special eye of yours will only take you so far~"

Suddenly out from thin air an ethereal iron maiden materialized and clamped shut around Yuuki, the small girl shrieking in pain as the dozens of spikes riddling the inside pierced her skin. After a few moments it dissipated and one of the Archangels landed a devastating punch to her cheek that sent her flying backward into a wall, the blow knocking her silly and making her drop her blade.

"Guh….o-ow…" she groaned as she collapsed to her knees, blood rolling down her chin from her lips.

"What a valiant effort, but...it all ended at this~" said Doroline as she approached Yuuki, bending down to pick up the large blade she used afterwards.

A line of soldiers came up behind Doroline as well and the torturer grinned evilly as she stepped to the side with the Archangels, the soldiers bringing up their rifles and taking aim at Yuuki. She realized this was to be the way she died...killed by a firing squad before the cross that held the corpse of her dead father.  
She brought her eyes up to look at him one last time, and gasped silently when she saw that he has in fact not died yet, the barely alive Lazarus looking at her with half-open eyes and blood covering his chin. As Doroline raised up her hand, the soldiers loading their weapons, Lazarus slowly mouthed out a single sentence to his adopted daughter before their lives came to an end.

"I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U." he silently echoed to her with a gentle smile, Yuuki tearing up again before she too smiled.

"...P-Papa…"

Doroline dropped her hand and the soldiers unloaded their weapons all at once, Yuuki being thrown back against the wall as seven bullets entered her. She slumped, dying almost instantly after she was shot, and eventually fell to her side when the last sliver of life left her body. At that same moment Lazarus finally gave up as well, dying for real on the cross this time without having uttered a single word to hinder the actions of his friends.

"Take him down from the cross and deliver his body and this girl's body to my quarters please...tonight...I feast~"

She widened her lips out and licked her teeth, giggling happily to herself before turning around and walking toward the Holy Palace. The Archangels followed her orders to the T and later the bodies were deposited at her door, the Torturer dragging them in and grinning madly to herself before she grabbed Yuuki's lifeless corpse by her red hair.

"You're first…~" She looked to Lazarus and giggled again. "And you'll be my dinner~ Now...time to dig in~"

With her inhuman strength, piece by piece she tore apart Yuuki's body into easier to eat pieces, her jaw unhinging itself as she kept stuffing her torn off, bloody body parts into her mouth and chewed on the flesh and bone until it turned to mush, then swallowed it. Eventually Doroline ate the last piece, Yuuki's left hand, before the little girl had been devoured entirely without not a trace of her left.

"My...you were delicious, little one…~" remarked Doroline with a giggle and a slight burp as she leaned back in her chair, gently rubbing her stuffed belly that made her look pregnant by at least 7 months.

"I can only wonder how your Daddy will taste…~"


	20. Dead

A/N Well that's certainly a bad way to go, and its the fastest promise Tatsumi has ever broken….welp you win some you lose some. To be honest I was going back and forth on whether to keep Yuuki alive or not, it was a fairly tough decision all around to try and see which way I'd like to go with her. In the end thought I decided on killing her off because I shan't be afraid to do so.

In the end though, if I had to, I would have wanted her to live. Oh well.

Moving forward, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, leave a fav and review and continue to support me. Thanks!

Also I am sooooo sorry for the huge hiatus, I wanted to focus on school and such so didn't have much time to write for this story, plus had a little bit of writer's block...but! Despite that, the school year is winding down so hopefully I can finally get back into a semi-normal upload schedule. Thank you all for being patient!

* * *

 **Chapter 19 - Dead**

"You have any idea why we're being called to that...creature's room?" asked Giovanni as he picked his teeth with a fingernail, Nemo and Xerxes next to him.

"No idea…" murmured Xerxes as his sleeves swayed freely by his side.

"Does that ever feel weird, Xerxes?"

"Hm?"

The masked bloodthirsty killer glanced at Giovanni and he pointed to his sleeves and made a saw motion across one of his arms. "You know, does it?"

Xerxes blinked once and gave him a blank stare that basically told him to forget the matter and not ask him again, Giovanni making a cheesy smile and waving his hands defensively before shoving them into his pockets.

"It will probably be another mission for us to undertake...dealing with those intruders from across the ocean." said Nemo without breaking stride as they walked up the spiral staircase.

They eventually reached the top floor of the tower built to be apart of the holy palace and they looked for Doroline's room, being one of the few people who actually was able to own one in the Holy Palace.

It had been around a few hours since they had gotten word of what had happened in the central square, and upon learning of it Xerxes had become somewhat irritated since he wasn't able to participate in the action. He had mellowed out though thanks to being offered another duty by the High Inquisitor herself, which was the reason behind them coming here, but other then that they had no idea what this other duty was going to be.

"High Inquisitor, we're here." announced Nemo with a knock on the door.

" _I'll be just a second~_ " replied Doroline through the door.

Nemo lowered his hand and waited patiently while Xerxes stood motionless and Giovanni pulled a gold coin out of his pocket and twirled it around expertly through his fingers, whistling a soft tune to himself. A few moments later the door opened and with a giggle Doroline appeared in the doorway with a satisfied grin on her face, Xerxes keeping his emotions locked away and Nemo, of course, unresponsive due to his mask, while Giovanni could only glance at her before flipping out.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what the hell woman! Cover up! For fuck's sake!"

"What~? I'm relaxing after a big meal~" replied Doroline as she licked her lips, using one hand to rub her overstuffed stomach.

Nemo glanced inside and on the floor saw scraps of tattered purple fabric, most likely from a suit, and after putting the puzzle pieces together he realized what she meant.

"I mean for crying out loud you're naked and you look nine months pregnant!" Giovanni caught himself and raised a hand up defensively again. "I mean, if you are, then, no judgement, but, uh…"

"Relax, those two...Lazarus and the girl, they're gone." answered Nemo for him.

"Eh? Gone? Where? Down below?"

Xerxes shook his head and pointed with his left arm, the sleeve hanging limp at where his elbow would be, straight at Doroline's stomach. "She ate them."  
Doroline giggled again when she burped slightly and grinned widely, showing off her rows of razor-sharp teeth that still had slight traces of blood on them before she licked them with her tongue.

"And I'm gonna have to bleach my eyes when I return to my room, thanks."

Doroline giggled while Giovanni turned around and walked to the door, waiting there and crossing his arms, not wanting to look at her any more then he had to.

"So, Doroline...the reason you brought us here?"

"Mm….I have a mission for you three, if you choose to accept it~ A...shock and awe spectacle, if you would."

Nemo's expression turned to one of intrigue behind his mask while Giovanni slowly turned his head to glance back at her again, gaze kept solidly on her eyes and face. She walked closer to them, putting her hand on Nemo's shoulder as she told them what she wanted out of them, and once she was finished Giovanni's expression hadn't changed but his eyes couldn't hide his feelings.

"That's...a pretty hefty price you're willing to sacrifice, isn't it?" he asked, Doroline's malicious smile appearing.

"But of course…~ But it's not like the people will object to it~ They'd do _anything_ for their Goddess...right…~?"

"You're a vile woman, Doroline...but your logic is not misplaced...come along, Giovanni, Xerxes. Let's accomplish this task as soon as possible…"

He walked towards the room door without another word, Giovanni gladly following him and closing the door behind them after leaving. Doroline snickered afterwards, returning to her previous lounging position in her chair and closing her eyes to imagine the carnage that would come.

" _Your move….~_ "

 **\- One Week Later -**

They had all known what it was like to be on the run and hiding from a superior force, but compared to the days of the old Empire, it could be argued that being in Judecca pursued by a psychotic and seemingly immortal violinist as well as agents of the Inquisitorial was worse.

The identity of the Inquisitorial was revealed to them when Firenze convinced an agent they had captured and subdued to tell them everything he knew about them. Unfortunately before they could get anything else out of him he bit into a cyanide pill hidden in his mouth as one of his teeth and died in just a couple of seconds. Leone disposed of the body for them and they continued to run and hide in the most obscure places they could find, trying to stay at least one step ahead of their pursuers.

"God I hate all of this running...my feet are going to have to be replaced with prosthesis at this point…" muttered Wave as he took off his boots to rub the bottom of his feet.

"...H-How long….are we going to...keep running…?" asked Freya in a soft voice, Mine smiling softly at her as she put a hand on hers.

"We don't know Freya...we're still trying to figure out what to do after…"

Esdia lowered her head when she was reminded of her uncle's and Yuuki's death, her shoulders slumping. Tatsumi looked at her with empathy in his gaze and gently pulling her in for an embrace and closing his eyes, letting his touch convey his emotions.

Everyone had felt a blow after they had returned bearing the news of their most recent traveling companion's death, Kurome having watched it as they fled. Tatsumi, along with Esdia, felt the worse afterwards since Tatsumi, quicker then he had ever done so before, broke Lazarus' promise to protect Yuuki. All of them had really, they had let her rush off to the capital to try and rescue her adoptive father from captivity and as a result had gotten herself killed.

It was a trap, all of them had known it...yet Yuuki had still gone ahead and went into the capital city to try and rescue Lazarus. They could blame her...but at they same time they couldn't.

"You know...what she did...it as like when we halted Tatsumi's execution." murmured Leone before snickering. "Well, when Mine halted it."

"Oh yeah...I remember hearing about that…" said Wave with a little smile. "You guys pissed off Esdeath so much."

They laughed a little bit at the memory before silence overtook them once more, Mine continuing to hold Freya's hand. Firenze sighed a little as she leaned back against a boulder they were camped next to and looked up at the cloudy skies above, not really paying attention to anything around her.

"Looks like it'll rain soon…" she muttered, Esdia glancing her direction.

"Really…?" she asked, Firenze nodding. "What should we do? There's hardly any cover around."

"We'll think of something, for right now...I just need to rest...and do some maintenance on my arm…." said Najenda as she sat down and reached for her shoulder.

With a press of two buttons a hiss came from her prosthetic arm as the clamps detached, allowing her to remove it and rest the limb in her lap. She used her one good hand to pull out a little tool kit from her pack and opened up the flap, scanning the contents before she selected a small screwdriver.

"...Pros...thetic…?" asked Freya, looking over in Najenda's direction.

"Yeah...I lost my right arm earlier in my life...along with one of my eyes. So I wear an eye patch and use a prosthetic limb."

"...D-Does...it hurt…? The...limb…?"

She left Mine's side and crawled to Najenda, sitting down and pulling her knees up to her chest as she looked at Najenda.

"Well...sometimes, it does get itchy, but other then that...it doesn't hurt. Whenever it happened though…" she shook her head and sighed. "It was the worse amount of physical pain I could have ever felt."

Freya's expression softened as she heard Najenda's story, the old General retelling her time as a soldier within the Empire of old and her promotion to General, Tatsumi and Miners smiling slightly with Leone since they had already heard all about it.

She got to the time where she spent a while being a friend and comrade to Esdeath, Esdia and Freya each gasping when they learned of the General's sadistic tendencies. Najenda ended her story with her defection from the Empire and her subsequent discovery by Esdeath.

"Back then I used the Teigu Mine used to wield, a rifle named Pumpkin, believe me I know the name is funny, but it's true. I was close friends with another General named Esdeath and, even though I had built quite a reputation for myself...she was something else entirely."

"How so?" asked Esdia, who was totally invested in the story.

"Esdeath was the Empire's Strongest General of the Empire, hell...that was even her nickname. 'Empire's Strongest General'...that was Esdeath."

"Ice Queen too….because of the Teigu she could wield, that is." added on Leone with a scowl as she recalled the woman. "It was called Demon's Extract….and for a good reason too."

Esdia paled at the emphasis she put on the latter half of the sentence, looking over to Tatsumi when he closed his eyes and sighed as well, nodding his head. Freya felt him readjust his position and turned her head to him to listen as well, since he was the next person behind Najenda who had to closest experience with her.

"Esdeath was an interesting character...to say the least. As a General and soldier...she was utterly ruthless and devoted to her goal, It didn't matter who was in her way, she could destroy and entire army to get what she wanted." started Tatsumi, Esdia becoming even more terrified of who this Esdeath person was.

"S-S-She could…..wipe out….e-entire armies…?" asked Freya, nervous.

"Yeah...and all because of Demon's Extract. What it is, originally, was a chalice filled with the blood of Super-class Danger Beast from the Northern Territories of the Empire. She drank it, all of it, and subjugated the evil presence still within it that had turned the minds of so many before it to mush."

Tatsumi fidgeted with his hands a little to let his words sink in and after a few moments of silence he cleared his throat and began again.

"With this power, she's able to create ice from nothing, without a source of water. Weapons, animals, walls, anything she can create and use to elevate her position in battle over her opponents."

"Even without it she's a formidable sword wielder with that damn rapier of her's…" growled Leone over past memories of her.

"And a brilliant tactician...she was quite literally the most powerful weapon the Empire had at their command, and even then...as it was collapsing all around her, she was ready to throw those ties away and keep on killing to survive and create more chaos for herself…" murmured Tatsumi, Wave and Kurome lowering their gazes somewhat as they too remembered their time with Esdeath and how wrong they were to associate with someone like her.

"And...now she's...here…"

Esdia looked down at her hands and saw them shaking from sheer terror, and after trying and failing to stop them from shaking Mine helped her and held them for her, smiling softly. Esdia nod her head thankfully and leaned against Mine, feeling comforted by her presence enough she was able to calm down.

They waited there in silence for a few more moments before the sky darkened more as the rain clouds rolled in, the wind picking up slightly and causing Freya to shiver a little. Tatsumi put his arms around her a little and stood up, looking at Najenda after she had finished doing maintenance on her arm and packed up her toolkit.

"We need to find some shelter. Is there a town nearby or anything?" he asked, Najenda glancing up.

"You're asking the wrong person here, Tatsumi."

"Um...I think there may be a town nearby...this place does look a little familiar to me…"

"It does?" Mine asked of the Princess.

Esdia nod her head as she stood up and wiped down her dress, Mine following her up and the others followed suite, Firenze keeping a hand on Freya's shoulder so she'd have someone next to her. Najenda returned the little toolkit from where she got it from and popped her arm back into place, opening and closing the fingers several times to ensure it was connected properly.

"So we're going to a nearby town?"

"That would be correct, I'm...certain it's close by. I remember coming through this area with my family on horse rides." replied Esdia with a determined nod.

"Alright then, you can lead the way. Mine, Tatsumi, you stay at front with her, Leone, you can cover the rear with Firenze. And Freya, dear?"

Najenda smiled as she took a hold of one of her hands, Freya turning her head with slightly wide eyes to look at her.

"Y-Yes…?"

"You can walk with Wave, Kurome and I. I've got you now."

"O-O-Oh...t-thank...you..."

Firenze and Leone both snickered while Najenda gave them the literal evil eye and they shuffled to where Najenda had ordered them to go before leaving the makeshift campsite they had made, a short breeze blowing past them slightly.

As they walked in relative silence Tatsumi looked up to the clouds, seeing slight traces of sunlight peeking through and he sighed a tiny bit. In his mind the cloudy sky was black and filled with scars, and the slightly chilly breeze cool and tropical, the feeling of the soft sand on his back.

" _What else could I have done to sway her...if she had turned...there would have been even less sacrifices...and so many other things…if only I had tried harder..._ " he thought to himself.

It was years ago but he could still remember it as if it were yesterday. He could still feel the weight of her body against his when they were laying down on the sand, and the kiss that she gave him that seemed to last forever. It was only the first of many, though, after that first kiss it didn't take the two of them long to give in to their own urges and make out more on that sandy beach.

That was only the beginning of it, since they ended up naked, touching one another as if they were lovers. That's as far as the memory got since the portal had opened up again and both of them had to stop. He'd never put on his clothes more quickly in his entire life.

Suddenly he was nudged in the arm and he jumped a little, his mind clearing up and coming back to reality when he looked right and saw Mine.

"Huh? What is is Mine?" Tatsumi asked, still a little bit dazed from the memory trip.

She poked his arm with her index finger. "You're making that face."

"What face?" Tatsumi blinked and Mine grinned a little.

"That 'I'm in deep thought' face. You make it every time there's something on your mind that you're concerned about." She leaned a little again him. "What's on your mind?"

Tatsumi smiled a little and lifted his arm up, putting it around her shoulders and rubbing her right arm.

"It's nothing, don't worry."

"That's a lie." Mine frowned at Tatsumi's inability to tell her right off the bat. "You can tell me, Tatsumi. Don't make me beat it out of you."

He paled considerably at how sincere his wife was and sighed again, looking away from her while his smile faded. From this alone she soon realized exactly what he had been thinking of and her expression softened.

"It was about that time...wasn't it? The island?"

Tatsumi nod his head once. "Yeah…"

"Want to talk about it?"

"I don't know…" he replied. "It just...keeps nagging at me. There had to be something else I could have done, could have said."

He curled the fingers of his left hand into a fist and clenched them a little, growling at himself out of disappointment. Mine reached up and ran her hand back and forth slowly across his back to comfort him, knowing full well about everything that had happened. Even the interaction he had with Esdeath, how intimate they got.

"Tatsumi, you dolt...thinking about it won't solve anything, you know."

"I know, I know...but still…" He finally looked at her, a sense of regret hidden in his gaze. "I can't stop myself from thinking about it."

Mine smiled and shook her head before she got out from his arm and took a step back, lightly punching his arm.

"If you can't stop thinking about it, then at least put it towards thinking of what you could've done then and how you can do that now, in the present."

Tatsumi blinked, confused. "Now, in the present?"

"Yeah! I'm no pushover Tatsumi, when we met her again back in that tower, I saw how you two reacted. I could tell there was something still there, and I know it stemmed from what you told me about what happened."

"Uh…" Tatsumi blushed a tiny bit from her mentioning it. "Possibly…"

"Oh, Tatsumi..."

She stopped walking and held his hands, a glance at Najenda from her was all that she needed to tell her to keep moving and they'd catch up. Firenze looked at the pair as well and she snickered under her breath before winking at Mine and tapping her head, implying she could hear everything.

"Mine?"

"Tell me again, what happened between you and Esdeath on that island." asked Mine, looking into Tatsumi's eyes directly.

"Well, we got teleported to an island, and-"

"No, no, no. Not that." Mine cupped her hand over his mouth to stop Tatsumi. "Tell me again...what you two did with one another. Alone."

Tatsumi closed his mouth and when he understood, Mine lowered her hand from it to let him speak again. He held his gaze with her for a few moments before he let out a breath and nod his head.

"Okay….okay…" He held on to her hands gently, Mine waiting patiently for him. "We...made out together. Kissed a lot. And then...we...stripped. She started to touch me, and I her, and...eventually it got to the point we were kissing more and I was groping her, while she was, well...you know…"

"I do know." Mine said with a little snicker.

Tatsumi blushed a little out of embarrassment while Mine snickered more, before she smiled and rubbed the back of his hands with her thumbs.

"Okay. Now, Tatsumi...what were your feelings at that time?"

"H-Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you dolt." She pinched his ear in a blink of an eye and he yelped. "You can tell me, Tatsumi. Tell me what you really felt, at that time...your feelings about yourself, what you were doing, and...about her. About Esdeath."

Tatsumi scratched his cheek awkwardly, laughing a little bit because of how determined his wife was at pressing him for these little details. She hadn't done it the first time, and he had no idea why she was doing it now, of all times.

"Are...you sure?" he asked, Mine nodding her head. "Then...it...felt amazing...b-but please don't take this the wrong way, this was before everything happened between you and me, and I-"

"Shush."

Mine cupped her hand over his mouth and again and pressed a finger to her own lips, shushing him. Tatsumi closed his mouth and nod his head meekly, Mine snickering as she took her hand away again to let him continue.

"It felt really good...despite it being a first for both of us...it was like she...practiced. And her skin was really soft...especially her...well, her tits."

"Understandable. I will admit...even though I eventually matured, that ice queen certainly had a big chest. But regardless...you liked what you two did together, right?"

"Yeah…" said Tatsumi, lowering his gaze like he was ashamed. "I'm sorry, I know she was the enemy, but...well…"

"Don't apologize, Tatsumi." She cupped his cheek and smiled. "I'm not mad. And the reason why I was asking this is because I wanted to lead up to this one question."  
Tatsumi waited in anticipation for the question and Mine removed her hand from his cheek, instead going to cross her arms across her chest and grinned as she looked at him.

"You still like her, don't you?"

"W-What?! N-No! Of course not! She…" He paused when Mine gave him that look, and sighed. "Yes...I do…but she's an enemy, and I'm already married to you…"

"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from having sex with Firenze now didn't it?"

" ** _She's got a point you know, Runt._** "

"You're not helping!"

Tatsumi didn't realize he had yelled that outl oud until he heard Mine giggling at his reaction and he blushed. Mine couldn't help but reach up and ruffle up his hair with her hands until it was messed up beyond recognition and pulled back, smiling happily.

"Tatsumi...listen. I'm not mad that you still like her. I could tell when I saw her that she does too. So, with this in mind...if you're able to get through to her, if she can change, then...I won't mind you two having a relationship."

Tatsumi's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open, Mine giggling as she pushed it back up with a hand for him.

He had to shake his head and clean out one of his ears in a goofy manner before he asked her again if she wasn't bullshitting him, and Mine nod her head again and Tatsumi blinked a few times, still blown away.

"You're...you're serious?"

"Yes, Tatsumi! Get it through your thick skull, you dolt!" exclaimed Mine with a laugh, Tatsumi eventually laughing with her as well.

They laughed with one another for a minute or so before it stopped and Tatsumi grinned at his wife, hugging her close and rubbing her back.

"Are you sure Mine?"

"Mhm...I'm okay with it. I'm okay with it...in general." she replied with a smile.

"In general? You mean…"

"Enough. We have to catch up with everyone." She stopped him there and gave him a pat on the ass. "Come on Mister, let's get a move on."

Tatsumi chuckled as he followed after his wife, eventually holding her hands as they walked to catch up with everyone, which they did after a few minutes. From there they continued following Esdia across the barren land until they reached a grassy plain with rolling green hills, a major step up from the gloomy wasteland they had been hiding out in for the past week.

When they walked up a hill Esdia pointed ahead of them to a higher up hill, where the city she had talked about was resting peacefully with a flagpole bearing the flag of Judecca, they assumed, waving from it.

"It looks pretty homey." said Leone with a grin.

"I can't wait to find a chair to sit down in…" groaned Wave while Kurome giggled and hopped onto his back. "Gah! Kurome?!"

"My feet hurt too, but since I'm more important you can carry me."

Leone and Najenda both laughed at the face the seaman made at the added weight on his feet but he trudged on with the group, Esdia taking them up the dirt trail all the way up towards the front gates.

However, as soon as they reached the gates, all of them save for Esdia and Freya knew that something was wrong with the fairly large town. Not a single person was there to greet them when they walked in and there was an eerie silence in the air, not even the birds were chirping.

"Where is everyone? Hello? Hellooo!" called out Esdia, cupping her hands to her mouth.

When nothing replied back to them except for the echo of Esdia's own voice, she turned to look at Najenda with a slightly worried expression.

"It isn't like an entire town to be quiet…" she murmured as everyone got closer to one another. "Stay on guard for anything suspicious. Leon?"

"Way ahead of you Boss."

Leone called upon the abilities of Lionelle and she formed her trademark lion ears and long blonde hair with claws and tail, sniffing the air a little bit before she shook her head. With nothing immediately wrong, they group was slow to make their way through the town, Wave and Tatsumi both summoning their spears in anticipation of an ambush in case Leone couldn't detect it in time.

"W-W-What's...wrong…?" asked Freya in almost a whisper, her eyes looking left and right frantically with each step she took.

"This whole place is empty...Kurome, do you mind getting a higher vantage point and taking a peek up ahead?" asked Najenda with a glance to the former assassin.

Kurome complied with a nod and took a leap up onto a nearby building, a hand on her katana as she took a survey over the entire town. She leaped over to another building

and glanced down at a street where one of the buildings across from her housed a bakery. Strangely, the door was left ajar and on the tables outside there were various everyday objects left in place by whoever owned them.

" _That's weird...it's like they were just left there on purpose. No sign of struggle either...and not a single trace of anyone…_ "

She returned back to the everyone and after explaining what she saw Najenda frowned and looked down the street all the way to the other side of the town, where another gate stood wide open. Tatsumi glanced at Najenda and she nod her head, then at Wave who nod as well and joined him at the front of the group.

Mine brought Extase off her back and held it at her hip backhanded, staying close next to Freya and Esdia, who they kept in the middle of the group for protection purposes. The walk was slow and controlled, with each person watching their flank in case anything strange were to happen, but like Kurome pointed out there was utterly no one in the town.

Every building they passed was completely vacant, and things were left in such a manner that its like the people vanished into thin air. Eventually they reached the gate, and when they passed through the archways they at first didn't see anything that alluded to the fates of the populace.

"I don't see anything over here, is there anything else?" asked Wave with a glance at Leone.

"Let me…-"

Leone sniffed the air and her heart skipped a beat, her nose shriveling up like she had stuck her nose head first into a garbage can. The scent was unmistakable, for there was never a moment in her life as an assassin that she did not smell that scent. What scared her the most however was that this time, compared to all the rest...it was practically choking her.

"G-Guys…"

"Hey, there's something over here!" exclaimed Mine as she walked to the left and rounded a corner of the wall and stopped dead in her tracks, frozen in place.

"What is it Mine?" asked Najenda, turning to look at her.

Extase then dropped from her hand and she collapsed to her knees, Tatsumi running over to her to see what was wrong but he too was struck motionless by the sight he encountered. One by one everyone came over to where they were, Esdia the last person, and it was only then that they heard the Princess scream for the first time since meeting her.

They had finally solved the mystery behind the disappearance of the town's populace. They had indeed vanished. But it wasn't some strange occurrence, or some sort of town-wide event that everyone participated in. No, it wasn't any of those things.

No...the people of the town...they hadn't disappeared. They were there, right in front of them, as far as the eye could see.

Every single last one.

All of them.

Dead.


	21. Chapter 20

A/N Hello everyone, it would seem that last chapter went over very well for those who stuck around and waited for me to finally post something haha. I'm really sorry about that. This year has been crazy for me, really really crazy, with the latest thing to happen being the passing of my Grandfather, so...yeah, didn't really have much time on my hands and for a while didn't have an inspiration to write for a little bit. Bad case of writer's block.

But! Don't worry, I did not give up hope on this story because I would never leave a story unfinished, especially with what I had planned for this one! First things first, however, I would like to lay things out on the table now so that everyone who has gotten this far will have these things clarified.

 **One**

Yes, this story has more sex scenes and generally other erotic/sexual/nsfw (or however you want to refer to it, HENTAI basically XD) then my previous Akame ga Kill fanfiction (A Different Path, for those of you who don't know). Veterans of that one know I don't shy away from that. This story I intend to be more mature then that one (gee I wonder how more mature you can get then Conspiracies, Revolutions, Assassinations and all of that stuff Akame ga Kill is known for). Jokes aside, this was planned from the start, so I hope you, my fellow readers, would be okay with this. Personally I've always wanted to do a fanfic where one of the themes was that Mature, Erotic story element (NOT 50 SHADES OF GREY, HELL NO), because I like writing that. I even considered something along the lines of a Mini Series revolving around short stories involving either Fluff, Heart-Warming or Lemons with characters. I haven't gotten a PM or review yet saying that a specific person didn't like it, so I guess I'm doing a good enough job to bring that on myself!

 **Two**

Continuing about the mature theme, this story when compared to the previous one, "A Different Path", there will be more mature things, yes, but not in the way you would think. This story will be dark, possibly even very disturbing to some of you. It will certainly be disturbing to be at some points, but I'm not afraid to *not* write about it, if you catch my drift. Some of you may not like what I will be putting into this story, based off other sources that I have at my disposal. Examples of this trend exist with Doroline literally eating two of the characters, Mass Crucifixion, and if that last chapter wasn't a hint, there will be a lot of death. So, I will make this known right now, for everyone.

 **To EVERYONE. If you are someone who cannot handle the ideas of Mass Bloodshed, Torture of various forms, Disturbing Imagery, sensitive topics such as Mental Insanity and Suicide, Familial Loss in a Horrific Manner, or anything along this lines, proceed with caution. Be smart, and don't be afraid to say anything to me.**

Well, with that done, I think we're okay to continue here. Leave a fav and review please, I like reading your reviews! HIPPITY YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN :)

* * *

 **Chapter 20 - I have…**

All of them had experienced something horrifying or gut wrenching in their own ways. Kurome was a member of an assassination squad, and partook in several black ops missions for the corrupt Empire while being influenced by body enhancing drugs that left her almost broken. Wave had the unfortunate circumstance of learning about the Empire's corruption and seeing Kurome suffer so much, which led him to run away with her.

Leone was an assassin who came from an area of the Empire that was downtrodden and poor, having to rely on conning others out of money to survive. Mine was born with mixed blood and faced bouts of racism and beatings from citizens of the Empire in her youth. Tatsumi's friends were kidnapped by aristocrats who loved nothing more then to torture those whom they take, and he saw all of it.

Najenda had a front row seat to the utter brutality that the Empire's armies could wage, especially under command of Esdeath, and had lost an arm and an eye because of it. And poor Freya...talking about it once was enough for all of them.

But even still it came as a shock when they looked out across that lower valley plain and saw the utterly massive dug out pit in the earth, saw that it was filled to the brim of the dead from the town.

They had to stop and wonder if they even wanted to go through the arduous task of removing every person from that mass grave, one by one, and give them a proper burial in a single grave. With a gut-wrenching no from Najenda, however, they chose the only relatively human thing to do was to not cover the pit with dirt and make a single headstone for the unknown amount of people, but to burn them.

And so they did, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air just like the smoke from the fire did so, and the group had to watch it burn with their noses and mouths covered in disgust. Not at the smell, certainly that was horrendous, but disgust towards the people who must have committed this heinous crime.

"This is too fucked up...even for me…" murmured Najenda under her breath, Wave gagging when the smell got through his fingers to his nostrils.

"In all my years with Night Raid, not once did I ever such a...horrifying scene…" said Mine, Tatsumi putting an arm around her and embracing her.

She turned away from the burning pit and hid her face in his chest,Tatsumi wrapping her arms around her like a shield while Firenze rubbed her arm out of sympathy.

"It's terrible...to think that all of these people had to die...for what?"

Wave looked for an answer from anyone around them, but not a single one came back, and he was left to wonder about his own question in silence. The silence itself persisted for another few minutes before Leone blinked a few times and sniffed the air, despite the pungent smell of the burning corpses.

"Is something wrong Leone?" asked Kurome, glancing up at her.

Leone sniffed the air another time and her eyes shot wide open as she pushed through Wave and Kurome rather forcefully to find something behind them.

"Hey, what gives?!" demanded Wave, Leone not even responding when she went up to Freya.

"Where is she?!"

"W-W-What?" she got exceptionally nervous at Leone's tone.

"Where is Esdia?!" she asked frantically.

Tatsumi's eyes widened and he whipped his head around to them and felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach when Esdia, whom he remembered was standing right next to Freya, was nowhere to be seen at all.

"Esdia?!"

The Princess they were referring to was already gone, running through the entrance gates as fast as she could, balling her eyes out and not looking back. The images of the mass grave flashed through her mind like lightning, spurring her to keep on running without stopping.

" _I can't let anyone else die or get hurt because of me! I can't take it anymore!_ " she thought before she had to stop and cough heavily.

She felt stomach bile crawl all the way up her throat to the back of her tongue and she coughed and hacked some more, on the verge of throwing up. Esdia closed her mouth and heaved a few times, managing to swallow everything and keep herself from vomiting, the princess rising up again while wiping her lips.

" _There's…only one thing to do…_ "

Esdia took a deep breath before she started running again, leaving the bad memories behind as her friends frantically searched for her, the destination she was going for locked in her mind.

 **\- Holy Capital of Zion -**

Esdeath sat on the roof of her home with her legs dangling over the edge, sighing at the rather bland skyline of the holy city. Unlike her home in the Empire, which was always bustling and had different flairs of life across the several districts of the Imperial Capital, she enjoyed spending her time there.

Eating ice cream at that little shoppe she would frequent on various occasions when she wasn't on a mission. She even enjoyed feeling her enemies struggle to contain their anger at the sight of her eating said ice cream.

" _Those were the good days….they feel like it happened so long ago…_ " she thought with a small smile.

She let her mind wonder again, soon zoning out and detaching from the physical realm to the imaginary one. Her eyes eventually closed as well and she was left there by herself in a little void, a void of memories and thoughts inside of her own head.

" _The good...old days…_ " she thought once. " _Tatsumi…_ "

Esdeath held her hands together in her lap and sighed a little as she remembered his face and smile, one of her own appearing soon afterwards after recalling it. She couldn't stop herself from remembering the time on the island that they had spent together, since out of all of her memories it was one of the fondest.

" _He was younger then me...but he felt like a lover…_ "

Esdeath rubbed the back of her left hand with her right thumb and opened her eyes again, looking up to the blue sky above and squinting slightly from the sun.

" _I wonder...how the events that took place would've been different…if I had gone with him…_ "

"Hey."

Esdeath turned around,the voice pulling her out of her thoughts, and her smile grew more when she saw Grimmjaw walk towards her, a cup of tea in either hand. He lowered one down and she took it, thanking him and asking him to join her in looking over the city.

"So this is what you do in your past time?" asked Grimmjaw after taking a seat.

"No, not always. More often then not I'm off hunting Danger Beasts, or practicing with my rapier." replied Esdeath after taking a sip. "But yes, sometimes I do just like to sit down...and observe."

Grimmjaw nod his head out of understanding and looked out over the city with her in silence, letting her think on her own thoughts and he on his. She took a sip of the tea he gave her every so often until the cup was empty, to where she set it down next to her.

"What're you thinking about, Esdeath?" he asked.

"Hm?" She turned her head to look at him. "What did you say?"

Grimmjaw chuckled. "I asked what are you thinking about?"

Esdeath opened her mouth but closed it, turning away from him and back out to the city, thinking of how to put her feelings into words.

"Just...things…"

"Is it about that man again? Tatsumi?"

"Not exactly...a little bit, yes, but, more about the past…"

Esdeath's eyes widened when Grimmjaw put a hand on her back and gave her a sincere look with his eyes, the only way he could convey emotion because of his rebreather. She felt comforted a little by this and she gave him a little smile, visibly relaxing more then she was earlier.

"I was thinking more about...things that could have done. And, a little bit about my family too…"

Grimmjaw was caught off guard actually, since this was the first time Esdeath had mentioned her family, in all of the years that he had known her. He didn't want to ruin this rare opportunity so he cleared his throat and held his gaze on her face, to show her he was keen on listening.

"Your family? This isn't like you Esdeath...not once have I ever heard a peep out of you about your family."

Esdeath gave him a soft chuckle. "Maybe it's because I've finally decided to trust you, Grimmjaw."

Grimmjaw chuckled a little as he finally remove his rebreather, a hiss of air escaping from it at it unlatched, and he set it down to take the first sip of his tea, smiling a tiny bit. Esdeath returned the gesture as she leaned back on her hands, sighing once more as she collected her thoughts.

"Would you like to hear about them?" she asked.

"I'd be honored, Miss Esdeath." Grimmjaw replied with a curt nod, the former General chuckling at his formalities.

"Well, for starters...we were a small family. It was just me and my parents. Although, where we lived was the interesting part. You see, my father was the leader of a Clan of Danger Beast hunters that lived in the far northern territories of the Empire. That's why my skin is like this, because of where we lived."

"Ah, that makes sense. And that's where your love of hunting came from too. You were born into it." Grimmjaw commented, Esdeath nodding her head. "What was the name of your clan?"

"The Partas Clan." replied Esdeath. "I was taught how to properly hunt and skin Danger Beasts by my Father, since my mother...she died soon after she gave birth to me."

Esdeath rubbed her hands together while Grimmjaw stopped mid-sip, lowering his cup and giving her an expression of sympathy. No words were needed between the two of them, the silence and a mere nod was enough to convey their feelings.

"It's quite sad though...there was no funeral or proper burial...my father's ideology was engraved deep within the clan. 'The strong survive, while the weak die.' he would tell us, me more so then anyone else, since I was his daughter, and so...when my Mother died...it was because she was weak."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh? Although, I'm not saying it's true, it's just...that was your Mother, you know?" suggested Grimmjaw, Esdeath nodding her head a little bit.

"It was, looking back on it...but can't really change it now."

Grimmjaw shrugged and agreed with her as he went back to his tea, finishing the sip he had started previously. Once he was done, he set his cup down and returned his attention to Esdeath for her to tell the rest of her tale.

He learned from her about the terrible fate of her clan, its destruction at the hands of a rival clan, with Esdeath being the only survivor. Grimmjaw could understand now why she never wanted to talk about her family, since she had lost the only family she had at a young age. There wasn't much else to tell after that and the pair sat in silence for another five minutes before Grimmjaw broke the silence by sipping on his tea rather loudly, drawing Esdeath's attention.

"That's rather obnoxious, don't you think?"

"I'm just breaking up the somber mood is all." He replied with a snicker. "And besides, you came out here to relax and observe, right?"

Esdeath smiled and nod her head, Grimmjaw smiling too as they returned to watching the city. Although after a second Esdeath's smile faded, turning into wonder as she recalled her father one last time.

"But, still, there's one thing that keeps nagging at me.."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I don't know, it's like...he was…"

She was stopped when her eyes widened a little and she blinked before leaping up to her feet, walking briskly back to the roof access door. Grimmjaw was quick to follow her, not even bothering to pick up the tea cups they were leaving behind. He knew exactly what had caused her to react like this, one of her seeing-eye ice constructs she had all throughout the city and outside of it had detected something peculiar.

Once Esdeath had grabbed her rapier and Grimmjaw returned his rebreather to his face they returned to the roof to take the easy way through the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop swiftly without any obstructions in their way.

They reached the tall wall that acted as Zion's border with nature and stood upon it, Esdeath squinting her eyes as she honed in on the location of the ice construct that had alerted her. Once she locked onto it she dropped off the wall, Grimmjaw following behind her, the two of them landing in the grass with Esdeath taking the lead in walking away from the wall toward a small collection of trees nearby.

"It should be just around-"

As she rounded a tree Esdeath stopped dead in her tracks when she came face to face with Esdia, the shorter princess freezing up as well at the sight of the former General. Grimmjaw soon appeared next to her and he was equally stunned at the sight of the Princess, the person that Doroline and her Inquisitors had been looking for all this time, right there in front of them. At first neither party couldn't say anything because of the shock, before finally Esdia broke the silence by stuttering a little and falling flat on her ass.

"Hey, don't worry, we won't hurt you." said Grimmjaw while raising his hands in a non-threatening way, Esdeath doing the same.

"Yes, no need to worry. Are...you perhaps-"

"Y-Yes, I'm the Princess. A-And I demand you take me into the city!"

Grimmjaw blinked and he glanced at Esdeath, who had the same baffled expression as he did. They looked back at Esdia and Esdeath chuckled, holding a hand out to her as a show of good faith to her, giving her a smile that was supposed to comfort her. Esdia gave her a doubtful gaze before eventually bringing her own hand up to grasp Esdeath's, the young Princess being pulled to her feet by her and dusted off by Grimmjaw.

"There we are, good as now." he remarked with a chuckle. "So, why did you come here from...wherever you were?"

"I want to bring an end to...all of this." said Esdia, her gaze lowering. "There's been...too much death already, on account of me...if...if I can change that….then…"

Grimmjaw's heart sank a little when he heard exactly what Esdia was intending to do, without her even saying it. The Princess was going to give herself up to Maxwell and her forces, and undoubtedly allow herself to be killed to secure Maxwell's absolute authority. A glance at Esdeath told him that she figured it out too, but she kept her expression blank and put a hand on Esdia's shoulder.

"If that is what you've chosen to do, then we'll take you inside. Maxwell won't be free for a while now, she's on current business, so until then, I will take care of you."

Esdia looked up at Esdeath and after a moment of deliberation she nod her head and lowered it again, Esdeath returning the nod before turning her around, Grimmjaw joining their side.

"Cover yourself up with that hood again...let's not cause a ruckus here."

The princess followed her suggestion and after she had her hood up they entered the city once more, becoming one with the crowd on their way through back to Esdeath's home. On the way there they passed by a couple of Archangels here and there, the faceless soldiers scaring Esdia enough to cling onto Esdeath, something she notice.

" _She's afraid…_ "

Grimmjaw could see it as well and he urged them on a little, giving Esdia less time she had to be out in the public. Thanks to this they were able to arrive at Esdeath's home in a relatively quick manner, and seperate themselves from the hustle and bustle of the city outside, to the quiet and relaxed interior.

Esdia let out a sigh of relief and pulled her hood off before falling down onto the couch, Grimmjaw removing his hand from the doorknob and looking back at her with Esdeath.

"I'll go ahead and leave you to it then. I trust you can take care of her?" he asked of her, Esdeath nodding her head.

"Yes, you can go. But...don't tell the other Sins."

"Gotcha, they won't hear about it at all."

As he responded he was opening the door again and catching the latter part of his sentence was Valencia with, her head tilting a little out of curiosity.

"Hear about what…?"

"U-Uh…"

Esdeath heard her voice and Grimmjaw's stutter so she acted quickly on bringing her inside and closing the door, Valencia catching only a glimpse of Esdia before her view was blocked.

"Who was-"

"Before I tell you, Valencia, promise me that you'll keep this to yourself for right now. If word gets out about this too quickly there will be a lot of chaos that will result of it. You wouldn't want that right?"

Valencia's eyes widened and she vigorously shook her head, the thought of that for someone not that social like her was terrifying.

Esdeath smiled and chuckled as she lifted up a hand and placed on top of Valencia's head next to the small cap she wore, rubbing her hair gently like a mother would. Her whole posture relaxed as it happened, and when Esdeath took her hand away she was completely fine again.

"With that taken care of, Valencia…" Esdeath stepped aside, letting her see Esdia. "That is the missing Princess herself, Esdia."

Valencia's eyes widened again and she covered her mouth at the sight of the lost Princess, Esdia glancing over at her when she had to get closer in order to see if it were actually true. Grimmjaw and Esdeath shared one last look before the former took his leave, closing the door behind him for her so that she could lock it before going next to Valencia.

"It...really is her...the Princess…" uttered Valencia in awe, Esdia blushing at how closely she was being looked at.

"Valencia, be mindful of her personal space."

Esdeath chuckled as Valencia blushed and nod her head at her mistake, choosing to sit in another chair and not look at Esdia so much. Esdeath took that opportunity to go up to the roof and grab the teacups she and Grimmjaw had left behind and returned them to the kitchen, washing them and grabbing new ones to fill up.  
Once she had fresh tea in them she walked back to the living room and game one cup to Esdia and one to Valencia, before joining the former on the couch, crossing one leg over the other.

"So, Princess-"

"Esdia."

Esdeath blinked. "Huh?"

"My name is Esdia...I'd prefer to be called by my name, and not by my title." She stared at Esdeath for a few moments before taking a sip.

"Well, okay then." Esdeath chuckled. "Esdia...how did you get here? Who were you with?"

"Not telling."

Esdeath couldn't help but be a little shocked by how firm the Princess was being with her despite her appearing to be shy and emotional just a few minutes earlier. This told her that she was doing so to hide something from her, something important.

But she wouldn't try to dig deeper. Years of interrogation have taught her to let the other person make the mistake, and to not force them to tell what they know, unless you would want them to clam up. She would know if she used force, but Esdeath knew better then that as well.

"You know…"

Esdia and Esdeath glanced at Valencia as she squinted her eyes a little, looking at the two of them.

"Looking at you...Esdia doesn't look so much like the former emperor...or anyone from that family...really...I think…"

"Huh? How do I not look like my own family?" question Esdia, Valencia shrinking back and making a nervous shrug.

"I mean...maybe a little bit...I..."

Whatever she intended to say afterwards it was lost in translation when her voice quieted down and she just mumbled to herself, Valencia blinking while Esdeath tried to hear what she said.

"What was that?"

"Nothing...it's impossible to think I'm not like my family, since I was here with my Mom, Petra."

Despite the name not meaning much to Valencia, since she didn't have that much knowledge about the royal family previously, but as soon as Esdeath heard that name she froze up like she had just been struck by lightning. She slowly turned her head to look at Esdia, the Princess not noticing her stare at first before she happened to glance at her and paused while sipping her tea.

"W-What?"

"That name...you said that was...your Mother's name right?" she asked in a quiet tone.

Esdia gulped down the tea she was drinking and nod her head, only the shriek a little when Esdeath lunged at her and gripped her shoulders tightly, looking her right in the eyes.

"How?! How could your Mother's name possibly be Petra! That's impossible!"  
She shook her vigorously, the tea in the cup she held sloshing wildly inside before spilling out when Esdia accidentally let go of it. Valencia was made nervous by Esdeath's action and loud voice, flinching when the cup struck the corner of the table and shattered on impact.

"S-Stop shaking me! I-It is possible!"

"No, it's not!" yelled Esdeath loudly, her body shaking. "I-It isn't! Because….because…"

She eventually let go of her when she looked down at her lap, bringing her shaking hands into it to stare intently at them as her mind turned off slightly.

"Petra...was what my...father told me was my...mother's name…"

Esdia's eyes widened at the revelation, but she still had doubts in her mind. There was no way that there was any relationship she shared, it just had to be a freaky coincidence. She had learned about Esdeath's past and reputation from Tatsumi and the others, for all intents and purposes, the woman sitting next to her was a monster who relished battle and death.

"H-Huh?" Esdia blinked, not hearing Esdeath's question at first.

"I asked...was your mother born here? Because...my Mother died after I was born."

It was then that Esdia's inner mind finally put the pieces together and her own hands started to shake when the truth itself began to come into the light.

"...M-My...my mother...wasn't born here...we...were adopted into the family…"

Both she and Esdeath were silent after that, neither of them willing to say anything to reignite the conversation again before Esdeath raised a hand and put it firmly on her shoulder, looking her dead in the eyes.

"What did your mother look like?" she asked, her expression blank.

"Well...she was...relatively tall, with...blue eyes and-"

"Long...blue...hair…?"

At that moment there were several knocks on the door and when Valencia quietly excused herself to open the door, only for it to practically hit her in the face as a squadron of Archangels entered the house all at once. Esdeath sprung to her feet at the sudden intrusion but relaxed only partially when Maxwell appeared through the soldiers and approached her, that same smile on her face, the 'I'm superior to everyone' look.

"What are you doing here, Max-I mean-Empress?" questioned Esdeath, Maxwell calmly raising a hand up and pointing at the Princess.

"I'm here for her. You know what must be done."

"How did you find out?"

Maxwell chuckled as she crossed her arms. "I have eyes and ears everywhere in the city, my dear. All it took was one glance at her for someone to recognize who she was, despite the hood over her head. What I want to know...is why you hid her from me?"

"If you think I was going to betray you, you're wrong." Esdeath frowned at her. "And secondly, I was going to inform you on my own terms, to limit the outburst that would happen if she were to suddenly be revealed."

"Hmm...I could understand that, but it hardly matters to me. Wrath, the Princess please."

"There's something else as well."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, her patience already beginning to wear thin. Esdeath lowered her gaze a little and glanced back at Esdia for a few moments.

"Well? What is-"

"I have reason to believe...that the Princess and I...are blood relatives." She brought her gaze back to Maxwell, giving her a firm expression. "Esdia and I...I think, no...I'm certain we are sisters."


End file.
